Burned By Desire
by simplynia
Summary: "Like a moth to a flame burned by the fire, my love is blind can't you see my desire?" After Bonnie's abrupt departure, Klaus spends a decade hunting her, only to find that his little witch has been hiding quite the scandal. A supernatural AU, loosely based on TVD. Main Characters: Bonnie, Klaus, & Elijah.
1. Chapter 1

**New Orleans - French Quarter  
**Ten Years Earlier

_Their co-dependent relationship finally reached its climax. What started as a simple blood sharing truce evolved into much more. She needed him like she needed her next breath. He was her drug and she was happily strung out on him. The same went for him. The two of them simply couldn't get enough of one another. She needed a magical boost. After losing her magic for the third time, Bonnie decided that enough was enough. She had read in several grimoires that vampire blood was a catalyst for magic. Stefan had been kind enough to offer his blood to her but her magic required more. A darker, more ancient boost that he alone couldn't provide. The pull led her to New Orleans where she sought out none other than Niklaus Mikaelson. The arrogant bastard that terrorized her town and her friends for most of her high school career. Still, the new form of magic she had tapped into didn't care. It needed a boost from the strongest, most ancient creatures known to man._

_The Originals._

_But not just any of them, one in particular, the most insufferable bastard she has ever met. The Original Hybrid._

_The magic that created him had always beckoned her. Even before she knew what it was. His darkness was alluring. So much so, that Bonnie drove approximately fifteen hours to get a small hit from him. He didn't make it easy. In fact, she almost had to beg for it._

_Liquor fueled her to knock on his door and demand a vial of his blood but the ancient bastard wasn't having any of it. Naturally paranoid, he thought she would use his blood against him; he wondered which one of her friends had an unfortunate run-in with a werewolf._

_But Bonnie wasn't there for her friends. She was there for selfish reasons. Klaus never dreamed she would come to him of her own volition. Her power called to him. Ever since the night he freed his wolf from bondage and almost died at her hands, he wanted her. That want soared to higher heights the first time he tasted her blood. She had given it to him and the Salvatore brothers in efforts to complete a spell that would link them all so that they could take down Super-Vamp Alaric._

_His lust for her grew from that day forward. So when she showed up at his doorstep demanding his blood, he brokered a deal, naturally._

_That deal led to them not only sharing their blood (through bites only) but their beds as well. For three months, he and the witch shared their bodies and their blood. Each day she grew more and more powerful and then abruptly, it stopped._

_Klaus developed sympathy for junkies that day._

_The withdrawal was painful. A witch's blood was much more potent than humans, but her blood was positively lethal. He didn't get the chance to wean himself from her. She left so suddenly, he started to wonder if it was all a twisted fever dream. In those short months, he felt a myriad of emotions he hadn't experienced in all of his existence. In just three short months, he had fallen in and out of lust, or love. He couldn't tell anymore._

_He mourned her, searched for her: he cursed her name and then he hunted her. His dreams of conquering New Orleans was put on hold as he hunted his little witch for well over a year. But just as suddenly as she came, she left the same; without a trace. He yearned her for years until the ache became an emptiness in the pit of his chest. It never went away._

_Leaving was hard but she had to do it. Not for herself but for the life, the lives, she learned were growing inside of her. News of her pregnancy rocked her to her core. She couldn't believe it was happening; but, she lived in a world where anything was possible._

-X-

Elijah found her. She wasn't sure how he was able to accomplish what Klaus couldn't but Elijah found her nestled in a little cove just outside of Paris, barely surviving. Her inheritance was close to depletion; she worked as a waitress while carrying a set of tribrid twins at 8 months.

She cried, begged and pleaded that he keep her location a secret. Elijah always had a soft spot for her. After all, he coveted all of his brother's bedfellows. He believed it to be his curse. Elijah succumbed to her cries. Those green emeralds she called eyes were iridescent in a pool of her tears; it weakened him. Her fragility made him fiercely protective of her.

He remained away on 'business' to ensure the birth of his niece and nephew.

-X-

**South of France  
**Ten Years Later

Rage was all too familiar to the great Niklaus Mikaelson. Rage had fueled him for the greater part of a millennium. It was his guttural response to just about everything. But as his brother Elijah had taught him, underneath the anger, there was always another emotion. The real emotion. Rage was a defense mechanism for him. It was easier to show his anger than it was to show his true emotions.

Rage is what led him to kill his mother, Esther. It's what led him to kill his father, Mikael. Rage sent him on a thousand-year journey to free his wolf from bondage. Rage led him to inflict terror and fear into the hearts of millions; vampires, werewolves, hybrids, witches, and humans alike. They all cowered in fear. Fear of the rage of Niklaus Mikaelson.

Rage is what led him to her doorstep.

In all of his thousand years, she had been the only one. The only one that refused to buckle in fear under his rage. The only one that battled him with as much rage as he unleashed upon the world. The only one that made him, the great Niklaus Mikaelson buckle in fear.

It terrified and exhilarated him all at once.

Yet and still, upon learning about her transgressions against him, not even she could escape his rage.

The large oak door stood between himself and her. The door served as a barrier between the bloodbath he was about to bring. His instinct was to kick it in. The door was no match for his strength. However, it wasn't feasible; not with the amount of power exuding from it. Her signature. Her essence. To this day it drove him mad. The power she had over him must be eradicated. He couldn't let this continue. Not with her betrayal.

Angrily, he resulted to plan b and settled for knocking on the door like a civil human being, everything he was not. If she knew what was good for her, she had better answer the door or one by one, every one of her neighbors would end up on her doorstep, bloody with a hole in their chest.

The door opened.

Nothing.

Niklaus balked as his eyes settled downward and he stared at a reflection of himself. A reflection from a life so far removed from his memory, from this lifetime. Blueish-green eyes stared back at him with the same amount of rage he'd come to know as his own for the past millennia. The tiny frame before him regarded him with suspicion before he hefted his chin and set his crooked jaw in steely reserve.

**"You have until the count of three to state your business. One…" **Klaus's heart swelled with pride. The similar countenance between him and the child before him was uncanny.

The two of them were interrupted by another presence coming from inside of the grandiose home. Klaus stood tall, ready to face her, ready to demand answers. Instead, he was met with another small frame, an almost mirror image of the child before him. Instantly, he was rendered breathless by her familiar beauty. The same bluish-green eyes regarded him but with a softer look. There was still that natural suspicion laid beneath her curious glance. Her crooked jaw was unmistakable as well. Klaus's eyes darted back and forth between the two small figures in awe.

_So this is what my little witch has been up to. _He thought as he tried to process the scene before him. Two children, obviously twins, obviously his, stood inside the home of his transgressor. He had come to murder her in cold blood but instead was met with two little reasons to rethink his decisions, to formulate Plan C.

Fuck.

She was always a step ahead of him.

-X-

The minute she pulled into her driveway, she sensed him. Fear trickled down the back of her neck and paralyzed her for an instant. In a flash she was out of the car, groceries forgotten, as she rushed to make sure her children were safe. It was stupid, leaving them without any supervision, but they were both responsible. They were her children after all.

She'd only been gone thirty minutes.

In ten years, she never let her guard down and now, she would undoubtedly pay for it.

If he hurt them…

The hell she would rain down on him would be like none other.

Bonnie turned the brass knob, feeling her heart sink when the door easily pushed open. It was every mother's worse nightmare. Even worse, nothing looked out of place. She expected chaos, a struggle, something, but instead, nothing. She didn't know what to make of it.

**"Nikolina? Nicky?" **Bonnie called out, hoping she would hear their thunderous footsteps. Instead, she heard a stillness that left her unsettled. Her eyes scanned the first floor for any signs of him or any signs of carnage but found none. She didn't know what to expect but she knew he was there. She could sense them, all three of them.

Relief flooded her and propelled her up the grand staircase. Her magic led her to her kids' bedroom where she found them sitting on their beds, unharmed and untouched. She rushed over to the two of them and kissed their foreheads. They were both uncharacteristically quiet, which made her wonder what kind of emotional damage he had already inflicted on them.

Not even thirty minutes and he was already wreaking havoc.

Bonnie's eyes closed for all of ten-seconds, silently thanking the spirits that her children were unharmed, physically anyway. She would have to assess any emotional damage later. She turned to Nikolina and asked, **"Where is he?"**

Nikolina silently pointed towards Bonnie's bedroom. Of course, he was there. She glanced at Nicky to assess his countenance, the expressions on their faces was something she couldn't read and she didn't like it. She knew her children like the back of her hand and yet they both seemed foreign to her at that moment.

She was going to kill him.

Bonnie gave them both a kiss and murmured to them that she would be back momentarily. She spelled the room with a strong protection spell, preventing them both from leaving and hearing anything that happened between her and Klaus. They both had axes to grind and things never ended well for anyone nearby when the two of them started swinging.

Rage filled Bonnie's small body as she stormed down the massive hallway to her bedroom's location. The door flew open from the force of her magic and hit the wall behind it. The force caused it to slam shut just as Bonnie moved out of its way. Klaus smirked at her entrance and took a minute to relish in her beauty. It was a pity that he would have to gut her and leave her entrails scattered throughout the house.

**"I must ask, Love," **he began, his archaic accent, once a distant memory, now scalded her. There was a time when the sound of his voice inflicted a different emotion. Now, it only left a bad taste in her mouth. **"How is it that you can afford a house of this magnitude?" **Though he asked, he already knew. _Elijah_. The older vampire knew about her transgressions, even aided and abetted her in her crimes against him. He paid for that mistake with a silver dagger in his heart.

His question made Bonnie start as she read between the lines. Elijah's sudden withdrawal should have tipped her off but she had gotten comfortable. Ten years had lulled her into a false sense of security.

**"What did you do to him?" **She knew the answer. Klaus would never kill any of his siblings, as twisted as he may be. Instead, he chose to let them rot for centuries until his anger cooled.

If Bonnie had any sense, she would have wished for a similar fate.

**"The usual," **Klaus answered offhandedly before getting back on subject. **"You know, I always wondered how you were able to escape me for so long." **He stood to his feet and began to advance towards her. The murderous rage in his eyes did not go unnoticed. She summoned her magic to the surface, ready to strike at any moment. Klaus loomed over her, his tall stature dwarfing her smaller frame. Bonnie craned her neck to look at him, an entire foot separating them. The tension was palpable, they could level the entire European continent if they wished.

**"I had to get away from you. You were no good for me," **she explained.

**"Au contraire, Mademoiselle, I was everything you needed."** Bonnie felt a familiar spark flare inside of her. A need, a want, a desire she fought hard to kick. She fought for ten years to get him out of her system and in an instant, the flame she'd extinguished was trying desperately to reignite itself. Bonnie closed her eyes. Her thumb itched to scratch her ring finger. It's been devoid of a ring for the past decade. It was a subtle movement that didn't go unnoticed by Klaus.

**"****_Was_****,"** Bonnie stressed. **"****_Was_**** everything I needed. Now, we're nothing." **Klaus's jaw ticked with rage and he closed the last bit of space. Instantly, his hands were around her neck. He squeezed lightly, not inflicting any real damage, but the threat was prominent beneath the surface. Bonnie's eyes darkened as a challenge presented itself.

**"I came here to murder you, ****_Witch. _****I came to slaughter your lover in front of you and drink his blood while you watch. I came here to torture you within an inch of your life until you begged for mercy, only to receive none." **The ire he felt made his voice tremble. She knew Klaus well enough to know that his threats against her were not unfounded, which is why she had the good sense to send her lover away. He, like Klaus, was a hybrid. He was resourceful.

He didn't go easily.

**"There is no lover."** Before Bonnie could finish her sentence, Klaus's grip tightened. His right eye twitched with unbridled rage as he screamed in her face.

**"LIES!" **The wolf in him growled as he sniffed. Though faint, he could smell the scent of another on her. Of _him_. Bonnie hadn't been with anyone in several months; not since Elijah's abrupt disappearance. His tawny eyes flashed with liquid gold as the veins beneath his eyelids began to form. His fangs descended as he glared at her. Any traces of the man she once loved was gone, replaced by the murderous bastard before her.

Before he could sink his fangs into her skin, every bone in his body began to break. He knew this feeling, knew it all too well. She was forcing him to shift. Klaus growled out in agony as the wolf began to break free at the will of her magic's command. She knew what she was doing. The vampire in him had no qualms about killing her. The wolf in him, however, was gentler.

He wouldn't dare lay a finger on his mate.


	2. Chapter 2

**South of France  
**Present Day

_Visions of Elijah flooded her. His regality was unmatched. Even in the direst situations, he remained in control. When she went into labor he kept his poise. He hired a doula and a midwife that worked in-house to care for her. The three of them helped to welcome the little lives she and Nik created. It pained Elijah that his brother wasn't there but he had given Miss Bennett his word._

_She remembered the way he rolled his sleeves meticulously and cut the umbilical cord at the midwife's instruction; the way he held Nikolina's tiny frame on his forearm warmed her heart. It was humbling, knowing that he held the power to destroy all of them in the blink of an eye, yet, he chose to protect them. Bonnie felt vulnerable in that moment but took comfort in knowing that he was nothing like his brother._

_He bought them a house too massive to be legal, aiming for their utmost comfort. There was nothing Elijah would withhold from them._

-X-

The thought of Elijah desiccating in a box pained her. She had grown to care for him, more than she would ever admit to his brother. Bonnie blamed the complicated relationships with the men in her life on her lifelong daddy issues. Everything led back to Rudy. He was long gone but his effect on her was not forgotten.

That one thought made her briefly regret not including Klaus in her life for the past ten years.

The flash of betrayal in his eyes struck a chord that prompted her to end her magical assault on him. He caught the wave of regret that washed over her features. His bones began to snap back into place as his accelerated healing took hold. She waited for him to attack once again but it never came. The look on his face made her eyes rush with unshed tears. There it was. The emotions he covered with his trademark rage.

She had become one of the many people that betrayed him. One of the people she swore she wouldn't become. Granted, the promise was made in the throes of passion but it was a promise he held onto. She wasn't like everyone else in his life.

Except she was.

They were the villain in each other's stories.

Bonnie's eyes fixated on the necklaces around his neck, needing somewhere to focus her vision that wasn't his pain-stricken face. It was then she noticed the ring. The ring she returned the day she left him. He had slipped it on her finger one night, a month and a half after they had started their tryst. She knew vampires had heightened emotions but their silent engagement was confirmation.

They never spoke about it but they knew.

What they had felt like forever. And it would have been if…

Bonnie's eyes involuntarily looked toward the door where their twins sat in their room at the end of the hall. She wondered if Lina had figured out how to break the protection spell yet…

Klaus moved suddenly. He stared down at her, silently demanding answers. He needed to know what caused her to bring about the ten years of torture their separation caused him.

**"I was afraid…"** she offered truthfully. The Klaus she knew could never be a father. True. The Klaus she **_knew._**

The Klaus that slipped the ring on her finger in the middle of the night _could; _with a little coaxing. Ten years would have made for good practice. Instead, he was robbed of precious moments. The moments she shared with his brother.

Klaus twitched.

**"You didn't give me a chance, Love." **Perhaps what hurts the most was her ability to coax his brother into going along with her schemes. If Klaus failed his brother nine times, Elijah forgave him ten. Elijah refused to give up on his younger brother.

But he did for Bonnie.

Klaus resented her. He still wanted to tear her to pieces but he couldn't bring himself to do so. His wolf was mated to her. The vampire held no allegiance, however. That bond was broken after the fifth year when he turned off his emotions to cope with the loss.

New Orleans rained blood that year.

Elijah brought him back. He could have told Klaus about his family then, but in his state, Elijah was sure he would have murdered them all. The wolf would have protected them under normal circumstances, but even his wolf was no match for an emotionless Klaus. With his emotions, he was a fucking menace. Without…

Her memory of Elijah chronicling the events of that year made Bonnie shudder. She had heard of other vampires shutting off their emotions but not Klaus. Not any of the originals come to think of it. They were lethal enough _with_ their emotions.

**"Ten years, Bonnie. Do you have any idea…" **Klaus closed his eyes. His jaw tightened with anger as he thought about the torment he went through. A wolf separated from its mate was an agony he wouldn't wish on anyone. Maybe if she knew, things might have been different. Maybe she would have stayed?

Klaus hated the hopefulness of his thoughts. He came here to murder her. Why the fuck were they chatting?

**"Tell me." **His eyes snapped open. His icy glare penetrated her, searching for any sign of a challenge. There was none; just genuine inquiry. For a fleeting moment, he saw the innocent witch he met when he took the form of her history teacher. Her cherubic face was burned into his memory. That cherub face aged only slightly with maturation. Her cheekbones cut deeper into her face; her features were more angular than he remembered.

**"I searched for you, Bonnie." **His heart twisted at the thought of her living peacefully while he lived each day of the past decade in agony. He wanted her to pay. **"You were…" **Klaus stopped suddenly. He didn't want her knowing how broken her absence left him, or did he?

**"What?" **Bonnie urged him to keep going. He never opened himself to her. Not knowing where he stood is what drove her away when she learned of the lives she carried. Maybe if she didn't feel so alone…

The wolf in him wanted to show her what he went through, how he felt about her. He wanted her to know but he couldn't express it. If he told her about the bond maybe she'd open herself to it. Or maybe she'd reject it.

Growling in frustration, Klaus flashed closer to her and gripped both sides of her head. He seethed as he stared down at her small frame. Their eyes locked for a moment before his closed. Bonnie took his hands into hers, gently clutching them as he gripped her tight. As he held her, he focused on entering her mind. Bonnie could feel the nudging and closed her eyes tight. Her instincts alerted her of an intruder, however, she allowed him entry by letting her guard down.

Images flooded her mind. She saw visions of herself which she recognized as the first time he laid eyes on her. First in Alaric's body and then in his own. She could feel the awe he felt when she almost killed him in the clearing, the lust he felt towards her at the decades dance; back when she thought Caroline was his only interest. She could feel the lust again when he tasted her blood for the first time. She felt the way his chest tighten when he realized he had a small 'crush' on her when he kidnapped her and forced her to do an unlinking spell for his siblings.

She felt it all. The surprise he felt when she showed up on his doorstep in New Orleans, the adoration as they grew closer to one another. The… the… strong _like_ when he slipped the ring on her finger, the pride when she didn't immediately remove said ring. Bonnie found herself smiling at all of this, but that smile soon turned into a frown when the images turned from that of joy to pain.

The panic when he realized she had left without a goodbye hit her like a freight train. Her stomach dropped with dread as hundreds of images of him searching for her flooded her. She felt the rage when he flipped off his emotions and the vindication he felt from slaughtering thousands.

But perhaps what hurt the most was the sheer heartbreak he felt once he turned his emotions back on and realized that she wasn't coming back. Knowing that he lived with that pain everyday hurt in ways she couldn't describe.

By the time he was done showing her everything, Bonnie was a grief-stricken mess. She doubled over, practically ill from the emotions that assaulted her. Her eyes met his briefly. She turned away in shame. Her intentions weren't to hurt him, just to survive.

**"We…"** Bonnie paused. Remembering one memory in particular that took her breath away. **"We mated…" **Things started to make sense. The restless nights she spent dreaming about him. The vividness of her dreams. It wasn't just her imagination, it was the feelings she felt from his end of the bond. A bond she was unaware of for the past ten years.

**"Klaus…" **The Hybrid flinched when Bonnie reached out to him. The ire in his eyes was unrelenting, anyone else would've been at his feet with a hollowed chest cavity.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to harm her and it drove him nuts. He wanted to drink her dry. He wanted to be free of the turmoil she caused. But as much as he wanted to be free of her, he wanted to finally claim her as his.

**"I didn't know…" **

**"Would it have made a difference, Love?" **His tone was despondent. When he looked at her, all he could see was the years wasted between them. She was his world. He wanted nothing but her and she wanted everything but him.

So broken, Klaus could no longer hide his feelings. Despite the fight he put up, a tear fell from his eyes. No one had managed to hurt him this way in a very long time and he hated her for it. But unlike the hate he had for Esther and Mikael, he still couldn't allow himself the satisfaction of killing her. The sounds of two fluttering heartbeats in a distant room reminded him of why.

Klaus watched as Bonnie took a daring step closer to him. He was sure the look on his face would have intimidated his greatest foe but it didn't stop her approach. Emotions flared between the two of them. Now that she was aware of the bond, she was open enough that he could feel her emotions for the first time.

The regret she felt immediately washed over him. Along with the guilt and shame she felt for denying him ten years of her life. Of their children's lives. Now, more than ever, she craved his presence in their lives. Seeing this side of him made her heartache with mourning. He was no longer Klaus, the Menace. He was Nik, the man. The man he left a thousand years in the past. The Nik her ancestor Ayana knew and loved.

The Nik that could stick around and raise the two little hellions that bore his features.

Bonnie placed her hand on his chest and pushed on it firmly as she used her magic to enter his mind as he did hers. She then allowed her memories to flood him. Nik's chest swelled with the overwhelming amount of love she had for him in the beginning. The fear she felt when she discovered her pregnancy, the trepidation she had about leaving him, the pain she felt from their separation, the bittersweet joy as she gave birth, he felt an insane amount of jealousy as memories of Elijah standing in for him at his children's birth but also felt the gratitude of Bonnie not facing that moment alone. He felt the ache in her heart as they spoke their first words, calling for a father that didn't know they existed. He felt the turmoil she felt each night she cried herself to sleep, mourning his absence. The fear she felt realizing he had found them, the relief she felt realizing that she no longer had to live in secret. The relief she felt of him being close to her again after so many years of depravity and the love she still had for him buried deep in her entangled web of a heart.

Once his eyes opened, the fire, she noticed, was replaced with a glow of understanding. The pain was still great but knowing that they both had their reasons made it bearable. The vampire still wanted his revenge but the wolf would never allow it.

**"Who is your lover?"** Klaus did not forget. Bonnie said nothing, she knew better than to answer the question. While she was safe from his wrath, for now, her lover was not. Niklaus was a tyrant.

**"He's long gone." **Bonnie's heart skipped a beat. Protecting him meant betraying Klaus. At least in his mind, it did.

**"That's not what I asked, Love." **Klaus's patience was thin. His anger needed an outlet and the scent on Bonnie would be the perfect release. Before Bonnie could say another word, Klaus was at her closet door in a flash. He began sniffing through the clothing looking for a match for the dying scent he could smell on her. Bonnie's heart quickened in pace as she silently prayed that she removed every evidence of him. When she hadn't heard from Elijah she went into a state of paranoia. Somehow she knew today was coming and so she took every precaution she could to prevent as much bloodshed as possible. Those precautions meant banishing her lover and erasing every sign of him from her life. Just in case…

**"Let it Go, Klaus. He's been gone for months. He's not coming back." **Klaus's eyes flashed gold as he gave up the search in her closet.

**"Did he hurt you?"** His thoughts were racing in every direction. He wanted to kill her for being with another, and kill them for leaving her alone; it didn't make sense. He couldn't imagine anyone leaving Bonnie willingly, but men were capable of things much stupider.

**"No, I made him leave. Will you stop it!?"** Bonnie's frustration came from a place of fear. While she was sure she had covered her steps, she was still afraid she missed something. Klaus was a stickler for details.

When his movements stilled, Bonnie's panic became widespread. In a flash, Klaus was out the door and down the hallway. Bonnie ran after him, struggling to keep up. She followed the sounds of footsteps out to her car where the door was violently ripped from its hinges. He sniffed the car repeatedly and yanked open the glove compartment where a small letter fell out. Bonnie's heart stopped at the sight of the letter in Klaus's hand.

-X-

_Bonnie,_

_Leaving you behind has been the hardest thing I've ever done. It physically hurts to be away from you. I think of you each second of every day. I yearn for the day we can hold each other again. Loving you has been a risk but it's a risk I'd take every time. I do not regret our time together, I want you to know that. I'll do my part as long as it keeps the three of you safe. If I have to remain on the run forever, I will. Just know that I will always come back for you, Bonnie._

_Until we meet again._

_Love always,  
__Tyler_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thank you all for your reviews! Most of your questions will be answered as the story progresses. Please take note of the rating change. There is a smut scene at the bottom which takes place after the Bolded and underlined, -X-. I'd like to note that Bonnie is living a hot girl summer in this story lol so keep that in mind. Thanks again for reading!

* * *

**South of France  
**Present Day

The rage Klaus felt earlier returned tenfold once he read the name at the end of the letter. The Lockwood boy had been on the run for the last fifteen years or so. Klaus had virtually forgotten him. Tyler was his first hybrid and his greatest failure. The fact that he had been with Bonnie all of this time made Klaus's blood boil. First Elijah, now Tyler.

**"You harlot," **Klaus sneered. Had the circumstances been different, Bonnie would have laughed at the archaic term Klaus used to describe her, however, the look in his eyes struck fear in her heart. Klaus took a step towards her and Bonnie retreated hesitantly.

**"Let me explain…" **Fear trickled down her spine and she wondered briefly if this was it for her. She always dreamed this day would catch up to her but now that it was staring her in the face, she couldn't say she was prepared for the outcome. Klaus was on her in a second. He pinned her against the side of the house, her body crushed between the wall and his body. The force of the impact made her wince and she involuntarily reached for the back of her head, Klaus smacked her hand away. It didn't hurt but it pissed her off nonetheless.

**"Don't touch me,"** she growled. Her crooked jaw was set with false bravado. Klaus ignored her.

**"Did you mate with him?" **It was all Klaus wanted to know. The thought of Bonnie sharing a bond with another made him want to commit a double-murder-suicide.

**"No," **Bonnie answered truthfully but Klaus could sense there was more that she wasn't telling him.

**"I'm going to fucking murder him right in fucking front of you."** Bonnie's heart shattered. There was something in Klaus's tone that left no room for doubt. Klaus was his scariest when he didn't yell.

**"I will never forgive you," **Bonnie countered. Her voice broke as her eyes watered. There was no consoling Klaus. She knew she didn't have a leg to stand on but she had to try anyway.

**"Is that so, my love?" **Klaus feigned concern. He reached up and pushed her hair out of her face gently. From the outside, they looked like two lovers having an intimate moment but that couldn't be farther from the truth. **"You dare mention forgiveness to me," **Klaus glared at her. His chest ached and he wondered what other betrayals she had tucked away. His disbelief kept him glued to his spot. _Not his Bonnie… _

**"Tyler has been in my life since before I could talk. If you kill him, you're going to have to kill me too." **Bonnie's words inflicted a growl.

**"Then I'll save you for last," **Klaus shouted and tightened the grip on her neck; the force making her eyes water. His wolf itched for him to stop his assault but the rage he felt was uncontrollable. With a simple twist, he could end her life but, the agony he felt when she left years ago would be nothing compared to the agony he'd feel over her death.

His grip tightened around her neck as he watched her squirm under his grip. She pushed against his chest in efforts to get him to back off but he didn't budge. A precession of tears began to fall from her eyes as she clawed at his hands, silently begging him to let go of her. Klaus watched as she struggled in his grip. The satisfaction he wanted wasn't there. She wasn't even attempting to fight back.

Angrily, he pushed her to the side to keep from giving in to his impulses. He was off his A-Game, thanks to her. He didn't come for conversation or niceties. He simply came to torture and murder her and he couldn't even do that. The bond that had weakened over time wouldn't allow it.

Bonnie stumbled away from him, gasping for air. As much as she wanted to lash out at him, she could understand his anger. She felt as though she deserved her fate but she also couldn't give in easily either. She had two children to look after and she could not, would not leave them in the hands of their father. Despite what she and Klaus shared, he was still Klaus.

She found her voice and asked, **"Are you going to threaten me all day or would you like to meet your children?" **Bonnie's voice was calm enough to bring Klaus down a notch. His heart skipped a beat as nervousness crept into the pit of his belly. Bonnie seized that moment to lead him toward the house, buying herself some time before he snapped once again. Rather than resist, Klaus followed languidly behind her, very apprehensive about meeting the lives they created.

-X-

**New Orleans  
**Ten Years Ago

_Klaus stared at the witch before him in silent shock. He wasn't sure what kind of trap this was or what type of game she was playing but the seriousness of her countenance threw him off. She wanted his blood, demanded it even._

**_"How am I to know you won't use it for a spell of yours?"_**_ Ever suspicious, Klaus couldn't take any chances. He didn't survive a thousand years on chance alone._

**_"I won't,"_**_ Bonnie promised. _**_"Whatever happened in Mystic Falls is behind me. I'm here for selfish reasons." _**_As she spoke, Klaus looked for any sign of deception; there wasn't any. In his many years, he learned to read people well. If Bonnie was lying, he'd know. _

_Still, he didn't trust her. _

_Klaus moved to the side and watched as Bonnie quietly made her way inside. The house was just as dark as it was outside. She had shown up at three in the morning like a normal person. Klaus walked through the courtyard of The Abattoir and led her into his study. There, he returned to the drink he had abandoned to open the door for her. He sat on the edge of his desk and stared silently at her. She stood near the door frame, glancing around at the thousands of books that covered the bookshelves. She didn't take Klaus for a reader._

**_"Are you going to give it to me?" _**_Bonnie's hopeful voice cut through the silence. Klaus brought his glass to his lips. The brown liquor burned the back of his throat as he thought about her question._

**_"What's in it for me?" _**_Of course, he wanted payment. Bonnie looked at him incredulously. _

**_"I don't know. What do you want from me?" _**_Klaus chuckled and sat his glass down with a soft thud._

**_"First, I want to know why you need my blood. Did one of your little friends have a bad run-in with a werewolf? We can discuss payment later." _**_Bonnie didn't like where this was going but her magic desperately needed this. Whatever he required, she would cross that bridge when she got to it._

**_"My friends are fine. I'm here for me, as I said. I need your blood to help with my magic. If you're not willing to help me, I'll ask Elijah or Rebekah. It doesn't have to be you." _**_Bonnie couldn't have Klaus thinking he was special, even if he was._

_Klaus frowned. _**_"If what you say is true, then their blood won't suffice, we both know that,"_**_ he countered with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. He was well aware of what vampire blood did for witches. His initial shock from her demands was replaced with delight. He had her._

**_"I don't have time for your cockiness, Klaus. Either you give it to me, or I find it from someone else." _**_Bonnie's threats fell on deaf ears._

**_"Because Stefan was doing such a great job?" _**_Klaus could smell the younger vampire on her. The urge to replace Stefan's scent with his was beginning to fester. Bonnie stiffened at his revelation._

**_"Can you not be difficult for once in your life, Klaus? Please," _**_Bonnie pleaded. She didn't have time for niceties or pride. She wanted what she wanted and he was beating around the bush. _

_Klaus's eyes darkened with lust. He liked her begging. _**_"Do it again,"_**_ he demanded._

**_"Please…" _**_Klaus smirked and rolled up the sleeve of his Henley. His eyes flashed with gold as his fangs descended and he bit into his flesh. The sight of his blood made Bonnie twitch. She glanced up at him in confusion. _**_"If you want it, come and get it." _**_Of course, he wouldn't just hand his blood over. What was she thinking?_

_She swallowed her pride and closed the distance between them. She glanced up at him hesitantly before taking his wrist in her hand. The wound was already starting to close. _**_"Tick Tock, Bonnie,"_**_ he goaded._

_She closed her lips over the wound and drank._

_**-X-**_

_Klaus was usually too busy to indulge in the desires of his carnal flesh. There was always someone plotting his demise, always someone he needed to torture, but there were times where he simply threw caution to the wind. The feel of Bonnie's lips against his skin did it to him. He was touch deprived and didn't realize it until Bonnie absently caressed his back as she drank from him. He leaned against the edge of the desk and held her as she drank, enjoying each pull as she sucked. His wound closed and she finally came up for air. Her forest green eyes were now darkened with lust. The scent of her arousal filled the air and Klaus released a growl from deep within his chest. The vibration made Bonnie jump slightly. Moisture pooled between her thighs as Klaus looked at her as if he was ready to pounce. _

_Bonnie bit her lips, _**_"I want more,"_**_ she declared, boldly. Klaus perked a brow._

**_"What do I get in return?" _**_He wanted to know. Bonnie didn't answer. Instead, she hefted her chin and flipped her hair over her shoulders, exposing her neck to him. Klaus stared in silent shock. From previous interactions, he knew that Bonnie hated being fed from. Damon's attack on her left her scarred. She could only blame her behavior on the high that came from feeding on Klaus. _

_He didn't give her much time to change her mind._

_Klaus pulled her closer to him by her hips and with ease, hoisted her into his lap. Part of her wanted to cringe at being so close to her sworn enemy but another part of her was intrigued. Klaus leaned in and inhaled her scent. He had to savor this moment because he knew when she came to her senses, she'd put at least a continent between the two of them, but for now, he had her._

_Klaus licked the spot right above her jugular before easing his fangs into her neck gently, Bonnie winced and whimpered as she adjusted her position in his lap. Klaus groaned against her neck as her heartbeat delivered pump after pump of blood into his mouth. His eyes glowed as her magic and blood entered his body. The feeling was euphoric and increased tenfold when he felt Bonnie bite into his flesh. His grip on her strengthened as he held her in place, not wanting the feeling to end. He could drain her completely or he could save some of her for later. He was in a dilemma. _

_Ultimately, he settled for the latter, pulling away from her slowly when he felt her hold on him weaken. He licked his lips and cradled her in his arms, allowing her to get her fill. Her eyes settled on his when she sat up and he swore he saw gold in her irises, or maybe that was his eyes reflecting in hers. His pink lips pulsated with her blood and magic. He couldn't get enough of her but he would have to. She was too good to drain but he wanted more of her._

_Bonnie wanted the same. _

_Klaus didn't hesitate when she closed the gap and placed her lips on his. His massive hands found the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. Bonnie's lips, now swollen, made their way to his neck where she kissed tenderly. In awe, Klaus watched silently as Bonnie took her time placing tender kisses on his neck and chest. He lifted his arms when she pulled at the hem of his shirt and smirked when she began sucking on his earlobe. His wolf demanded that he take her against the desk and he planned to do that, however, he wanted to enjoy the moment. No one ever handled him with such delicacy before, not even when he was human. For a thousand years he was deprived of this tender touch. He didn't want it to end._

_But he was also a man with needs and Bonnie was taking her sweet time while he busted at the seams. _

_A low growl escaped his chest; in a flash, he had her completely naked before him, her clothes scattered about the room. Klaus took a brief moment to drink in her glory. Everything about him was carnal and while he was usually a man of great patience in the bedroom, there was a primal need to be buried deep inside of her, a need he could not deny himself, nor her. He wanted it out of his system._

_Bonnie shuddered as the chill in the air engulfed her. Her nipples hardened in response. Klaus wasted no time taking her pert breasts into his mouth. She moaned as she stood before him, taking his head into her hands. His curls wrapped around her fingers and held him in place. His hand cupped her other breast and the warmth of his always-hot flesh engulfed her._

_Klaus gently picked her up and laid her on the desk. The desk was completely cleared, save from a few items he pushed onto the floor. Instinctively, Bonnie wrapped her legs around his waist and Klaus hovered over her, kissing down her body until his lips met the apex of her thighs. His fangs descended and pierced her femoral vein. Bonnie moaned in response, growing wetter than before; he was so close, yet so far._

_Once he had his fill, he licked the wound, watching as it closed on its own accord due to his blood in her system. His groin tingled with satisfaction. His tongue found her clit in no time; Bonnie's hips bucked in response. Her folds were slick with her arousal and she tasted sweet. He pushed her thighs back, spreading her lips in the process. He sucked on her clit and held her in place as he assaulted her core. _

_Bonnie trembled under his touch. His mouth felt good. He felt good. His hands on her body felt good. His blood in her system made her hypersensitive and hyper-aware of her surroundings. It felt like the time she and Jeremy Gilbert experimented with Ecstasy. Euphoria. Her moans sounded far away as if she ascended to a higher plane and left her writhing body behind. She shuddered when his hands cupped her breasts. She couldn't take it anymore and yet, she wanted more, more of his blood, more of his touches, more of _**_him_**_._

_Bonnie welcomed his lips with a kiss. The feel of his clothing on her skin aroused and annoyed her. She needed skin to skin contact. In a haste, she tore his Henley in half, fueled by magic and arousal, both his and hers. Her legs felt like jelly but her core throbbed and pulsated like it had its own heartbeat. It too was touch-deprived._

_Her arousal was so thick it hung in the air, suffocating anyone in its presence. Thankfully, Klaus didn't need air in his lungs or else he'd perish on the spot. Heat radiated from Bonnie in waves and he wondered briefly if the witch was part werewolf like him. His fingers slid against her silky folds and dipped inside of her entrance. The kiss he delivered was sinful as his tongue darted around her mouth, almost similar to how he licked her core. The pleasure elicited a moan from Bonnie, low and guttural. Klaus usually reserved his impulsivity for his ambitions and not in the bedroom; however, Bonnie unleashed something ravenous in him. She was blood to a vampire, a flame to a moth, meth to a meth-head._

_Entering her was an entirely different high. Everything leading up was like speeding to the top of a rollercoaster track only now he was free-falling. _

_Backward._

_Pleasure assaulted him from every angle. In all of his years, he thought he was used to the heightened feelings of vampirism but this was a new feeling. Like a baby hearing its mother's voice for the first time. Everything in him came alive. The air felt different in his lungs. The blood that pumped in his veins felt different, like an icy-hot he's never felt before. His skin prickled as Bonnie's magic engulfed him in its flames. Every atom in his body was aware of her; the breath on his neck, her nails in his back, her walls clenched around his member, her magic pulsating beneath and around him, he was aware of all of it. _

_The green in her eyes returned and Bonnie suddenly became aware of Klaus. The feeling of death and chaos she felt when she touched him normally was replaced with something new, something she never thought she'd associate with the Original Hybrid. Bonnie likened it to a junkie's first high. She imagined herself sprawled out butt-naked on a soiled mattress in a crackhouse with the needle still in her arm, teetering on the brink of death. She loved it. She couldn't get enough of it. Her magic flowed freely from her body and encompassed him. She needed him close, she never wanted him to leave. She could feel his blood coursing through her veins and could almost tell which was hers and which was his. She was hyperaware of every molecule and every air particle that made up the room. Aware of his scent, archaic forestry with a hint of sandalwood, myrrh, and ash. There was something primal in his sweat as it dripped on her chest. Something wolf-like that made her hungry for more of him. The longer he stroked her, the more animalistic he became._

_She was aware of the moment the vampire took a backseat and the wolf rose to the surface._

_In a flash, she was no longer laying supinely on the desk but bent over it instead. The breath escaped her lungs with an 'oof' as he roughly pushed her against the surface. With his blood in her system, she felt no pain, only pleasure, as he entered her from behind and stroked her with speed and precision, Bonnie gripped the edge of the desk with her hands and gripped his length with her walls as she received every inch of him. She clenched with each withdrawal and released with each thrust. The act drove Klaus insane, eliciting a growl from him._

_Despite her submissive position, Bonnie was the dominant one. The way Klaus unraveled inside of her was proof of that. There were butterflies in the pit of her stomach as it tightened with anticipation. The feeling she felt in her lower abdomen was usually self-inflicted and not as intense. The build-up to her release was akin to base jumping Mt. Everest. The weightless feeling in her chest as her body tensed and convulsed beneath him was addicting. She wanted to live in this moment. Her moans were deafening as her body reacted on its own accord. Klaus held her in place as he continued his efforts to drive her insane. She couldn't believe a feeling so euphoric could ever be associated with Klaus but alas, it was._

_A humiliating whimper left her lips as she released her build-up all over him. _

_Klaus watched in awe as she came apart beneath him. Each of his movements sent her body into a frenzy which virtually sent him over the edge. Once the wave of pleasure began to settle, he picked up the pace once again, biting his lips as he came close to the brink._

_One touch from her sent him careening into his release and he shuddered tremendously at the feel of her feather-light fingers against his abdomen. His hips jerked in response as he held her in place. His fangs descended as he sunk himself inside of her in two locations. Bonnie moaned; the arch in her back ached, but Klaus held her close as he drank from her neck, preventing her from toppling over._

_As painful as it was to tear himself away from her, Klaus released his hold on her and stood back, watching as Bonnie clung to the desk, struggling to hold herself up. He chuckled, the sound of his laughter rung in her ears like the tolls of a bell. Her magic thrummed beneath the surface of her skin and tingled at her fingertips. A shiver traveled the length of her spine and pulsated where her thighs greeted. Disoriented, Bonnie struggled with her noodle-like legs and the high she was currently experiencing. She was sure he was enjoying the scene but she had to block him out… and find a chair to sit in._

_Klaus grinned to himself as he watched Bonnie cope with the after-effects of their tryst. She was Blood Drunk, a side effect of blood sharing. He too felt the same euphoria she did but having experienced it in the past, he knew what to expect. Bonnie, on the other hand, did not._

**_"I take it Stefan's blood didn't have the same effect, did it?" _**_Bonnie wanted to wipe the cocksure grin from his face but instead, she flopped down in the office chair after successfully dragging herself to the other side of the desk. Her entire body tingled and she could still feel him on her, in her._

**_"You shut up," _**_she chastised with a murmur. Klaus released a belly laugh. He rounded the desk and moved to stand in front of her. Bonnie glanced up at him with doe eyes, anticipating his next move. Her eyes darted back and forth from his chest to his member which she was eye level with. She looked away but not before Klaus noticed the small lick of her lips. Smirking, he brought his wrist to his mouth and bit into it before offering it to her. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and began to drink her fill._

**_"Drink up,"_**_ he encouraged, stroking her hair gently as he held her close to his abdomen. The feel of her head near his pelvis excited him and he closed his eyes to savor the euphoria of her draining his wrists; he hoped by the end of the night that she'd drain him in other ways. _**_"I'm not finished with you yet."_**


	4. Chapter 4

**South of France  
**_Eight Years Ago_

Elijah returned a week before the twin's first birthday. He informed her that Niklaus was in a bad way and implored her to return to New Orleans, to give his brother a chance. Her stubbornness was a gift from Sheila. Klaus was nowhere near capable of the responsibilities parenthood entailed. Maybe if he was more like his brother…

Bonnie hated that the comparison even came to mind. Elijah was patient, kind, and gentle. He handled the twins with care. It softened her heart whenever the twins lit up in his presence. It gave her hope that maybe one day, the same could happen in their father's presence.

But that was a false hope. Klaus would break them. He broke everything he laid his hands on. She couldn't afford the damages he'd inflict on their children. She had to keep them away. They needed a fighting chance and she refused to subject them to a childhood they would one day have to heal from. She didn't want what happened to their father to happen to them.

Klaus had traumas he'd never healed from and subsequently spent a millennium redistributing the pain inflicted on him. His father was abusive, his mother manipulative, and in his reality, everyone—including her—had betrayed him in some form or the other. He was tyrannical and couldn't be reasoned with. Until he was ready to face his hurt and address his tragedies, she knew he would never be ready to raise their children.

So she remained in the shadows and afforded her children the best father figure she could produce, their Uncle Elijah.

Of course, it was hard watching him with them and not imagine would it'd be like to have a complete family. Growing up, she felt an ache in her heart not knowing Abby. She was too young to remember when she left and when she did meet her, she wished she hadn't. She justified excluding Klaus from their lives with her own reasons for not having a mother; you couldn't miss what you've never truly had.

She knew it was bullshit; however, when they were older, she'd have valid reasons for her actions. She simply hoped they would accept those reasons. Deciding to keep their father away from them felt like cutting off her leg to save the rest of her body from infection. If only there was an antibiotic available at the time. To her, Elijah was said antibiotic. He eased the pain that came from the loss of Klaus. His presence appeased the twins for now. They were too young to feel the effects of Klaus's absence.

Elijah was the shoo-in. Plenty of times he caught Miss Bennett standing in the doorway, watching silently as he rocked Nikolina to sleep or when he fed Nicky into a milk-induced coma. Feelings began to arise, feelings he shouldn't have towards her. Still, it didn't stop him from wishfully thinking. Sometimes, he caught himself pretending that this little family was his own. That he was human again and was given a life that was stolen from him centuries ago.

In a perfect world, Bonnie was his, the twins were his. It was a curse he'd grown to accept; always coveting that which belonged to Niklaus. Except he was here and Klaus was not. The thoughts that plagued him kept him from revealing their location to his menace of a brother. He wanted to keep this to himself for as long as he could. It was easier if they made Klaus the villain in this situation—justifiable.

Childbirth looked good on Bonnie. The way her silk robe hugged her child-bearing hips sent Elijah in a trance sometimes. Her milk-heavy breasts rested on her forearms as she folded them across her slightly protruding belly. They leaked with milk sometimes and Elijah found it strangely attractive. He was always appreciative of the female anatomy. A woman's body was truly something to marvel.

Bonnie was softer, rounder, and he loved it. Each time she bent over to pick up something off the floor or tip-toed to grab something out of reach, he caught himself staring. He shouldn't, but he couldn't look away. Though he was always the perfect gentleman, his thoughts were less than respectful.

Apparently, Bonnie's weren't either.

As her body recovered from the stress of childbearing, her hormones fluctuated. She was aware of Elijah's presence. That awareness led her to his bedroom door one night. Elijah watched as Bonnie entered his room. He lay supinely on the neatly made bed, fully clothed—he rarely slept. His shoes were tucked neatly underneath the bed and his jacket was folded neatly on the desk chair across the room. Bonnie was met with his argyle patterned, sock-clad feet first. His eyes were trained on her as he rested with one arm tucked beneath his head. His sleeve was rolled meticulously, a look she loved on him, and his free arm rested across his abdomen. Bonnie climbed into bed next to him. She kept a safe enough distance to remain respectful which did nothing to still her beating heart.

"**Are you unable to sleep again, Miss Bennett?" **Elijah peered down at the young girl, smiling ruefully when she nodded. Without hesitation, he pulled his arm from behind his head and offered her refuge. With ease, she closed the space between them, resting her head on his chest. Bonnie relaxed when his arm wrapped around her.

This was becoming a nightly routine for them. The two of them would lay in the dark and enjoy one another's company, nothing more. She still grappled with being away from Klaus and craved his presence. Elijah would have to make do and he did. A sigh escaped her lungs as she draped an arm across Elijah's mid-section.

**"Have the urges gotten any better?"** Elijah broke the silence.

**"Worse, actually," **Bonnie confessed. Those urges increased every full moon it seemed. If only she knew then that she and Klaus were mated, things would have made more sense. Instead, she suffered silently.

**"It will fade with time," **he assured. But Bonnie didn't want them to fade, she wanted a release. Elijah sensed this but never broached the topic. Though he coveted her, he was afraid of crossing that line. He was sure he'd be met with certain death if he did; pretending was one thing, acting on his fantasy was a different sin.

Bonnie's fingers traced the outlines of the buttons that decorated the length of his chest. It had a soothing effect that made her draw nearer to him. Elijah watched silently as two of her fingers found their way past the opening between two buttons. It was the last set of buttons right above his belt buckle. Her touch sent a shockwave through him. Her fingers loosened a button and more of her hand slid inside of his tucked shirt.

**"Bonnie," **he warned softly. She looked up with those large doe eyes of hers and smiled softly. Elijah watched as she closed in the space between them. He was the moth to her flame and while he knew she was off-limits, the danger of being burned did not deter him.

Her lips touched his and he didn't fight it. His large hands cradled the back of her head and pulled her closer. His kiss was feverish, hot and breathtaking. There was something about his constant restraint that lured Bonnie. He was forbidden to her, just as she was to him and maybe that was the allure.

As she kissed him, she pretended. She pretended they were both human and normal. Him a wealthy landowner and she, a kept woman that stayed home with the children and had nothing to worry about except a canceled hair and nail appointment. She wanted a fantasy with Elijah, a normal, boring life with no stress, strain, or struggle.

She didn't want to exist as Bonnie Bennett, a girl on the run from her estranged, psychotic lover with two kids she had to keep hidden for their safety. She held on to Elijah as they kissed and prayed that this fantasy would never end. Elijah did the same.

With Bonnie, he felt more human than he had in his thousand-year existence. In her arms, he felt as if he had the life he'd always secretly desired. At his core, he was a provider and Bonnie allowed him to act accordingly. She appreciated all of his gestures, both minuscule and grandiose. He explained his actions with wanting the best for his niece and nephew, however, he wanted the best for Bonnie as well.

Bonnie was his in secret. He didn't have to share her with anyone as long as no one knew about what they had. He suddenly understood why some men (and women) sought a double life. It was a respite from their ordinary, mundane life. Though older, he always felt second to Niklaus. His brother was the black sheep of the family and because of this, he garnered the most attention from his parents and their siblings. Elijah lived in the shadows, in Klaus's shadows. Each of the women in his life was linked to Klaus in some way. Tatia loved both he and Niklaus, so did Katerina, and countless of others. Bonnie did as well, however, she was here with him, and not his brother.

Elijah deepened the kiss and laid Bonnie on her back. It felt nice to rebel against his tyrant of a brother. Bonnie represented that for him and the thought sent a pang of guilt through him that made him pull away from her kisses.

**"You deserve better than this, Bonnie," **he tried to reason. Bonnie smiled. Her name on his lips sounded foreign. It was always the formal Miss Bennett, never Bonnie. She surmised it was his way of keeping her at arm's length. Bonnie pushed his hair out of his face and offered a gentle smile.

**"Elijah,"** she began. Her voice sounded sweet to his ears. **"You think so low of yourself." **Elijah felt the warmth of her words grip his heart. His lips found hers again and his hands found her breasts. He kneaded her nipples until she writhed with pleasure beneath him. He longed to get lost in her but his allegiance to his brother made him hesitate.

Bonnie must have had the same thought and pulled away. Relief flooded him, though it pained him to be away from her. With her eyes downcast, Bonnie climbed out of his bed and muttered a soft apology before exiting the room quicker than she appeared. While her body and her magic craved Elijah, she couldn't allow herself to cross that line. The mere thought flooded her with guilt. If Klaus ever found out, the two of them were as good as dead.

-X-

**New** **Orleans  
**_Seven Months ago_

Klaus was used to Elijah taking sabbaticals during their years together. If he wasn't right by his side or laying in a coffin, Elijah was out pursuing the world, for what, Klaus never truly cared. Elijah had been gone for several weeks this time but Klaus was acclimated to it. For the past ten years, Elijah came and went as he pleased and Klaus thought nothing of it. Though this time, he noticed something off about his brother and he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Physically, Elijah looked the same as always. It was impossible for his looks to ever falter, though, his aura was different. The entire week he'd been home, Elijah seemed different. He pressed but got nothing; Elijah would tell him once he's ready, Klaus was sure of it. Nevertheless, a week passed and still, nothing. Niklaus grew agitated. His agitation led him to Elijah's room, demanding answers.

**"What's got your panties in a wad, Mate?" **The two of them were to host a meeting with The Faction of New Orleans to discuss the terms of the accords they worked so hard to create and Elijah's disinterest was threatening to affect his performance later. Elijah said nothing; the look in his eyes made Klaus falter. He knew that look all too well. It was the same look in his eyes when he realized Bonnie would never return, willingly.

Klaus's face softened a tad. **"Let me guess, a witch?" **Klaus knew his brother and knew his type. Women—witches in particular—were Elijah's vice. Elijah fell for a pretty face at least once a decade.

Elijah said nothing which confirmed Klaus' suspicions. Typically, Klaus wouldn't entertain his shenanigans. Tough love was always his preferred method of helping Elijah get over the pretty faces in the past but after his own experience, Klaus secretly gained a bit of a soft spot when it came to lost or unrequited love. That ache he felt for Bonnie would never go away. It only faded with time. The mere thought of her made his chest twist in memory of the pain he suffered close to a decade ago. He had to bury the witch in the recesses of his mind for the sake of his sanity. Still, he yearned for her.

Elijah said nothing as his brother fished for information. He was always careful to cover his tracks but his guilt was his biggest threat. If Klaus ever found out that he was aiding Bonnie in staying hidden, he'd be banished to a coffin for the next millennium. After each of his visits with Bonnie, Elijah visited a red-headed witch in Portugal to cover his tracks. There, the witch removed any traces of Bonnie from his person. Klaus's senses were keen and even more so when it came to Bonnie. If Elijah hadn't taken precautions, their entire operation would have been blown years ago. Each time he visited her, he tried to persuade her to return but his efforts were futile. Bonnie was just as stubborn as Klaus.

**"If she's ailing you this much, snap her neck. It's easier to accept death than a lost love." **Elijah glanced up at his brother and for a moment, he saw a rare glimpse of Klaus's vulnerability. Losing Bonnie did a number on him and it hurt Elijah to continue keeping this secret from him.

**"Is that what you're planning for Miss de Martel if things don't go your way?" **Elijah finally spoke. Elijah had voiced his disdain for Klaus's rekindled relationship with the girl of his past. As much as Bonnie pretended to be over Klaus, Elijah knew she still carried his brother in her heart. As possessive as Klaus was, Bonnie could be just as fierce. He still held out hope that the two of them would reunite; they couldn't do that with significant others in the way. Aurora was undoubtedly the world's first psychopath—Klaus excluded—and Tyler would be dead on sight if Klaus had his way.

Aurora de Martel, along with her brother Tristan was the Mikaelson siblings' first vampire sires. Along with Lucien Castle, the three of them made up the Trinity, the oldest non-original vampires. A few years prior, the three of them resurfaced after living underground for centuries. It was then that Elijah learned that Tristan de Martel was now the leader of The Strix, a society of vampires—exclusively sired by Elijah—that Elijah formed in the middle ages. The group was meant to gather the greatest minds to build a better future, however, it all derailed once Mikael drove them out of town. Forced to abandon his group, Elijah left, believing that Mikael had slaughtered them all.

**"Aurora is just a distraction until I one day find, Bonnie," **Klaus answered. Though he buried her for now, he remained hopeful that the witch would resurface sooner or later. The supernatural community was small. **"Have you heard anything by chance,"** Klaus kept his voice light while eyeing Elijah. Elijah didn't react. His stony features trademarked the term 'poker face'. His brother being the sharpest creature on the planet taught Elijah a great deal of stealth, however, everyone had a 'tell'. Klaus stalked patiently, like a leopard crouching beneath the grass, positioning itself to lunge at its prey.

Ever so slightly, Elijah squinted.

**"Her trail has been cold for years, Niklaus." **Elijah's answer was always the same in different variations; despondent and discouraging. Klaus's paranoia always led him to wonder if maybe Elijah knew more than he was letting on. It had always been a fleeting thought but this week it had been nagging at him.

A pang of betrayal pierced Klaus's heart.

**"So you say," **Klaus answered as he stood to his feet. **"The meeting is in a couple of hours, be ready,"** Klaus instructed, as if Elijah had ever been late to anything in his immortal life. Klaus stood to his feet with a pep in his step and left the room without another word leaving Elijah to his thoughts. Being in the same room as Klaus had been suffocating since he left Cassis. The guilt weighing on him was almost unbearable. Klaus was right in his suspicions. It had been a witch but not just any, it was Klaus's witch. Just a week before he'd come dangerously close to risking everything just to get a taste of her. Her vulnerability on the cusp of a full moon made her emphatically irresistible. The thought alone made Elijah salivate with want.

Ironically, the moon was full tonight and he wondered how she was faring. They had found that after her separation from Klaus, full moons were almost unbearable for the witch. Like a werewolf turning at its peak, Bonnie's soul ached from Klaus's absence. Bonnie surmised that it was withdrawal symptoms from the blood-sharing. Her magic had to be rebelling. Over the years it ebbed, however, it seemed that in recent years, it was beginning to get increasingly worse. One could only be away from their mate for so long before they cave in. A lesser person would have gone crawling back within weeks of being away, but when has Bonnie Bennett ever been less than?

Elijah stood with his back to the door, facing the mirror mounted on the dresser. As he removed his cufflinks, he glanced up just in time to see Klaus standing in the doorframe with an inscrutable look on his face. After a millennium, Elijah knew each time when Klaus was about to dagger him. This time was no different.

**"Brother,"** Elijah's heart sank to his chest as Klaus placed a single digit to his lips.

**"Shhh," **Klaus quelled. **"Let's not drag this out." **Klaus's tone was stone cold as he unsheathed the silver dagger, dipped in white oak ash. Elijah's heart accelerated as he pondered how long it would be this time. Finn had done less to him and was sentenced to 900 years. Elijah only feared what was to come.

**"Let me explain, Niklaus." **As Elijah spoke, Klaus's suspicions were confirmed. In truth, he was operating on a hunch. The dagger was just a scare tactic to get Elijah to confess. Klaus closed his eyes as the pain of his brother's transgressions gripped his heart and latched on, sinking its claws deep into his already tattered heart.

**"It crossed my mind a few times that you had something to do with her disappearance but I was always too blinded by my grief to ever question you." **As Klaus spoke, Elijah wondered what exactly gave him away. He'd been so careful. **"Well done, Brother. You've bested me." **The bitterness in Klaus's tone seeped into Elijah's heart. He had hoped that he could be the hero and finally bring Bonnie and the twins home but as fate would have it, his luck ran out.

**"I assure you, Niklaus, there's more to this that you don't know." **Elijah only hoped that Niklaus would give him the chance to explain, but with each step he took towards him, Elijah knew that Klaus would not be reasoned with.

**"What. I. Know. Is that YOU FUCKING BETRAYED ME!" **Klaus's voice shook the windows. In a flash, Klaus was before Elijah. His hand gripped Elijah's neck as his fangs descended. Before Elijah could register what was about to happen, Klaus sunk his fangs into his brother's neck before launching him across the room.

Elijah fell against the wall with a thud as he gripped his neck. The sting of the werewolf venom began to burn him from the inside out. The realization set in as Elijah stared up at Klaus wide-eyed. Klaus glared down at his brother with tears in his eyes. He sniffled and angrily wiped his tears away. The pain his brother felt broke Elijah's heart tenfold. He was the source of this pain. For all of his talks of always and forever, Elijah had proven to his brother that no one could be trusted, not even him.

**"Niklaus!" **Elijah choked as he gripped his neck. Niklaus watched as his brother suffered before jamming the dagger into his brother's heart. Elijah screamed out in agony as the telltale signs of desiccation began to settle in his veins. Niklaus stooped down and gripped the back of Elijah's head angrily. There was a demonic glimmer in Klaus's eyes as he watched Elijah wither away slowly.

Before the desiccation set in, Klaus smirked as he spoke. **"When I wake you, ****_if_**** I wake you, Bonnie's body will be scattered across your coffin." **Those were the last words Elijah heard as his world faded to black.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for your reviews! This story jumps around a lot so I apologize for any confusion that may bring. The time jumps are necessary to the storytelling though. Bonnie's actions and the reasons behind them are complex so each time jump shows how and why she hid for so long.

To cut down on any confusion, I've refrained from using specific dates which is why everything is measured in months and years. There's present day, 10 years ago when she left initially, the months following Elijah's disappearance on her end, and in the coming chapters, a flashback to how she ran into Tyler and how they formed their relationship.

Thank you all for listening to my TED talk...


	5. Chapter 5

**South of France  
**Five Months Ago

**"Mommy, what happened to our dad?" **Bonnie's eyes cut over to her oldest baby. Lina stared at her with those California Teal eyes that reminded Bonnie of both she and Niklaus. Her heart ached at the thought of him.

**"Uncle 'Lijah said he's in a faraway land! Is he lost?" **Bonnie stilled her movements. The salad she was preparing could wait, this took precedence.

**"Well," **Bonnie began. **"Uncle 'Lijah isn't wrong," **Bonnie rounded the kitchen island and sat on the stool between the two of them. They both stared up at her expectantly and Bonnie's heart skipped ever so slightly. Lina's eyes landed on her chest. Of the twins, Lina was the most observant. Bonnie sighed as she was faced with the monumental task of explaining their father's absence. When they were younger, they accepted the fairytale of their dad being a king from a faraway land that they had to escape from until he made it safe for them. They were older now and knew that while the story was great at bedtime, it was just that, a story.

Bonnie wrapped an arm around the two of them and sighed. **"When your dad and I met, we didn't like each other, at all,"** Bonnie explained, watching each of their faces.

**"You don't like anyone, Mommy," **Lina pointed out, causing Bonnie to chuckle.

**"That's not true, I like you two,"** she stated, tickling their sides. They both squirmed and giggled.

**"She likes Tyler too!"** Nicky boasted, making kissy faces at Bonnie as Lina joined in. Bonnie cackled and nudged him.

**"Whatever, do you all want to hear the story or not?"** The twins settled down but the amusement was still in their eyes, Bonnie shook her head with a small smile. **"We didn't get along but one day, your dad helped me with something magic-related and we became close friends,"** Bonnie explained, keeping it as G-rated as she possibly could.

"**We became boyfriend and girlfriend for a little while but then I found out that I was pregnant and I got scared and ran away from him. There were a lot of people mad at your dad because he wasn't a good boy and I didn't want them to find out about you two so I had to hide from everyone." **It had been years since she voiced her fears with anyone other than Elijah. There were many factors behind her decision to leave Klaus but ultimately it was for the safety of her children. At least that's what she told herself.

**"You didn't hide from Uncle 'Lijah,"** Nikolina pointed out. The look on her face reminded Bonnie so much of Klaus she nearly gasped. Bonnie bit her lip and smiled.

**"No, I didn't. Your Uncle Elijah found me."**

**"How come he didn't tell dad about us?"** Nicky was the one to speak this time. The curiosity in his tone bordered on suspicion and Bonnie wondered how she managed to survive living with two little Niklauses all these years.

**"I made him promise not to," **Bonnie confessed. She wanted to be as honest as possible, even if it hurt.

**"Well, we're big now so we can tell him we're here," **Nicky's voice squeaked with excitement as Bonnie contemplated his suggestion.

**"Maybe,"** she whispered, lost to her thoughts.

**"What's he like?" **Lina's question made Bonnie's heart twist with guilt. It's a question she always wondered about her own mother as a child and the fact that Bonnie placed that question in her daughter's heart haunted her. Unlike Rudy, she wouldn't shy away from the question.

**"He's quite the character, actually."** Bonnie bit her lip as she remembered both the good and bad qualities about their father. **"He's cranky when you first meet him but once you get to know him, you discover this gentle side to him. He's funny and artistic like you, Nicky."** At the revelation, Nicky smiled brightly.

**"Will he ever find us?" **Bonnie pondered his question. It'd been two months since she last heard from Elijah and the thought had been weighing on her heavily ever since. Each time Elijah returned to New Orleans, the risk of Klaus discovering where he's been increased. Other than his initial message stating that he'd arrived, he's been radio silent. The first month didn't raise any suspicions but going into month two, she was beginning to worry.

**"He will, eventually." **Bonnie never deluded herself into thinking she could hide from Klaus forever. The fact that she made it this long was due to Elijah's assistance, emotionally and financially. Each day she checked her phone, waiting to hear from him.

But the days went on and still, no word.

She met up with Tyler at the height fo her paranoia, forcing him to leave for his safety. She owed it to him to keep him alive.

Tyler.

The two of them reconnected during one of Bonnie's trips to Paris three years prior. The twins were homeschooled and were beginning to go stir crazy being cooped up in the house. Aside from playdates with a small community of other homeschooled children, the twins didn't get out much; a drawback of being the world's first tribrids.

-X-

**Paris, France  
**_Three Years Ago_

_Bonnie and the twins had spent the better part of their day touring The Louvre and were dead tired—Bonnie was, at least. The three of them sat inside of Café Marly waiting on their meals to arrive. Bonnie listened as the twins translated the menu to her. While Bonnie was fluent in the language, the twins still had work that needed to be done and so their favorite past time was showing off what they knew to her. Bonnie listened absently as they went back and forth about how to properly pronounce, 'Niçoise'. They both had it terribly wrong. Bonnie chuckled. She waited to see if either one of them would get it right while surveying their surroundings. It was a force of habit. She always expected Klaus to appear from the shadows and was always ready for an attack. If not from him then one of his vampire minions would be sent to look for her. She could never let her guard down. _

_Large crowds made her anxious, which is why she chose the offseason to visit the massive museum. The number of people in and out made her paranoid and while she saw nothing, she allowed her magic to flow freely. She was about to reign it back in when she felt the presence of another supernatural near them. Bonnie stiffened as her eyes scanned the area. The twins, ever observant, noticed their mother's distress and tensed as well, their vampire and wolf senses on alert. Bonnie searched the crowd frantically as she tried to locate the presence she felt. She needed to spot them before they spot her._

_After a thirty-second scan, her eyes met his. It was Tyler Lockwood. He'd sensed her as well. The two of them stared each other down as they anticipated the other's move. They were both suspicious of one another and they were both justified in their suspicions. _

**_"Stay right here, babies," _**_she whispered as she got up and mindlessly walked towards Tyler. He visibly stiffened as Bonnie approached him. Neither of them knew what to expect from the other. The tension between them pulled until he and Bonnie were toe to toe with one another. Tyler spoke first. _

**_"They smell like Klaus," _**_he spoke through gritted teeth. _**_"All of you do," _**_the hybrid snarled. If the kids he saw were indeed Klaus's, there was a high chance that the original hybrid was nearby._

**_"That's because they're his,"_**_ she confessed. There was no point in lying._

**_"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" _**_The panic in Tyler's voice was easily detected. His outburst caused a few passersby to pause and glance in their direction. Bonnie's eyes darted around them before she grabbed Tyler's arm and pulled him to the side where they could speak more privately. She glanced back at the twins to find them both watching her curiously. Bonnie gave them a quick smile before muttering a muting spell so that they couldn't overhear their conversation; just in case Tyler said anything she didn't want them knowing about._

**_"Listen, Tyler, he doesn't know they exist so please don't say anything," _**

**_"To WHO? Just about everyone we know is dead or scattered, Bonnie, because of HIM! God, how did you two even… happen," _**_he seethed. _

**_"That's valid," _**_she nodded, then sighed tiredly. _**_"How they came to be is a long-ass story that I have no interest in rehashing. What I need to know is that you won't utter a word to a fucking soul. It's the least you owe me since you left me high and damn dry when I was stuck on the other side." _**_Tyler's face softened a tad as he remembered sabotaging Bonnie's chance of being rescued from the other side to save a girl he'd just met. _**_"What was her name, Liv? I hope she was worth it,"_**_ Bonnie spat venomously. Tyler's brows dipped on his forehead._

**_"Liv is dead, remember? So you can drop it," _**_he spat. _**_"And have you forgotten my uncle Mason? Because I haven't,"_**_ Tyler countered. If she wanted to bring up old shit, they could sling mud all day. Tyler continued when Bonnie didn't retaliate, _**_"Now, since we've gotten that out of the way, what are you doing here?" _**

**_"What does it fucking look like, I'm taking my kids on vacation, what are YOU doing here?" _**_Tyler gave a pointed look that Bonnie almost laughed at. _**_"We never get out. You of all people would know that hiding from Klaus is a full-time job. I wanted them to feel normal for a change," _**_Tyler glanced back at the kids in question and his heart softened just a tad. Had Bonnie been anyone else, he hated to think of the ways he'd use Klaus's flesh and blood against him._

**_"I suppose now I can't kill him," _**_Tyler gruffed. Bonnie chuckled and the sound was foreign to Tyler's ears. He hasn't heard her laugh in decades. Her infectious laugh earned a smile from Tyler who felt some of the tension leave his body. Not even twenty minutes ago, he saw Bonnie and the children she had with her as a threat and now, they were already falling into step with one another. Tyler's suspicions were lulled by his wolf instincts. His wolf trusted her. It always did, even when he didn't. _

**_"You can't, but you can kick his ass without any reservations," _**_Bonnie assured. Tyler smiled. She has never given him shit for wanting revenge against Klaus like the rest of their 'friends'. _**_"I haven't forgotten about what he did to you," _**_she added softly. The anger Tyler constantly held onto rose to the surface and he glanced down at Bonnie, eyes glowing._

**_"How were you able to… have something with him after all he's done to us?" _**_Tyler asked softly. It was hard not to feel betrayed, but Bonnie suffered at the hands of the Mikaelsons almost as much as he did. Bonnie took his question for what it truly was, curiosity. _

**_"I will never know the depth of the pain he caused you, Tyler," _**_Bonnie began,_**_ "but in my situation, Klaus was less of a villain to me than Damon and Stefan were. Klaus didn't kill my mother as he did yours, that was Damon,"_**_ she remembered. _**_"I was able to forgive Damon and Stefan so, Klaus was sort of a non-factor for me," _**_Bonnie explained the best she could. _**_"And also… there's a long story behind it that I'm not about to rehash,"_**_ she repeated. _**_"I saw another side of him that none of us ever saw and it led to, that," _**_She nodded her head in the twins' direction, glancing over to find that they were now occupied by the food that was delivered to their table. _

_Tyler absorbed Bonnie's words, realizing that everyone had different perspectives when it came to the shit they experienced in their hellhole of a town. Hearing Bonnie's side of things eased his apprehension a little, though he was still leery about being in such close proximity to a pair of Mikaelsons. That family could sniff each other out in a pile of elephant dung. _

**_"You won't be able to hide them forever," _**_Tyler warned. Bonnie nodded._

**_"I know, it won't be forever. Just until I'm sure they can survive being around him, emotionally."_**_ It's what she told herself every day. The two of them stared in the twin's direction, though their thoughts were miles away._

**_"I can't be around you," _**_he warned, not sure why he needed to tell her. Bonnie smiled sadly and nodded._

**_"I know," _**_she confirmed, turning to look at him. _**_"Still, it's nice seeing a familiar face," _**_she answered, not knowing how familiar that face would become._

**A/N:** Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. In honor of my late grandmother, I decided to upload a chapter to both stories. Happy reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** The beginning mirrors the beginning of chapter five (sorta) and that's on purpose. There's another note from me at the end of the chapter as well. Enjoy!

* * *

**South of France  
**Present Day

**"What took you so long to find us?" **Klaus blinked as he stared at Nikolina, both amused and affronted by her candor and tenacity. He didn't know what to make of her but he admired her Bonnie-like fierceness.

**"Mom and Uncle 'Lijah said you were in a faraway land!" **Klaus directed his gaze to Klaus the Younger. The mention of his brother brought about a twist in his chest that he quickly ignored.

**"I was," **Klaus confirmed as he glanced back at Bonnie. She stood silently behind him with her arms folded. She was wound tight like a tension coil. **"A place called New Orleans,"** he elaborated. **"Our family established it many years ago." **

**"Can we visit?" **Lina wanted to know. **"Is it safe now,"** she questioned.

**"Mom said you had lots of enemies and that we couldn't come to see you," **Nicky felt his anger ebb a little, realizing that though she kept his children away from him, Bonnie made certain, it seemed, not to paint him as the bad guy. Klaus stared into his children's curious copper-colored faces as he tried to determine what they knew of him and what he wanted them to know.

**"Yes, that's true," **Klaus agreed, not wanting to dismantle the vision of him that Bonnie painted. It wasn't wrong.

Bonnie watched as the twins backed Klaus in a corner, taking pleasure in his discomfort for a moment. It wasn't every day that one got to see the great hybrid so unsure of himself. Chuckling, Bonnie leaned against the doorjamb as the twins went back and forth, asking questions and sharing information with their father before he had a chance to answer, confirm, or deny. Finally, after watching him squirm, she offered a lifeline.

Bonnie moved to sit between the twins on the bed. She could see Klaus relax a little and chuckled at his discomfort, always enjoying a moment to ruffle his feathers. **"Guys, be gentle,"** Bonnie teased, earning a scowl from Klaus. She ignored him successfully and kissed the tops of their heads. **"Your father has been traveling for quite some time to see you and he will answer your questions, in due time,"** Bonnie smiled. Klaus was grateful for the reprieve. He watched as the twins leaned against their mother with a familiarity he envied. He wondered if they were close to Elijah in the same manner. The thought made him both angry and a little guilty.

**"Is Uncle 'Lijah coming soon? I miss him,"** Nicky sighed. They hadn't seen Elijah in months, per the norm, but this time around, his absence was felt. Elijah typically called to check in on them but for months, there was nothing.

Klaus's guilt increased. His children had taken a liking to their uncle in his absence. Klaus's eyes met Bonnie's. She stared through him as if she knew exactly what he had done and truthfully, he wouldn't be surprised if she did know. It wasn't enough to simply dagger him, Klaus wanted him to suffer endlessly.

**"Maybe, he's off on a mission to make our home safer for us,"** Klaus embellished. He didn't want to lie to them but he also didn't want to be the bad guy that took their cherished uncle away from them. At his revelation, Nicky squinted at Klaus and he had to marvel at how intricate genetics were. The boy completely stole his face.

**"Hey guys, do you mind unloading the car for me? I'm making Coq au Vin tonight." **The twins jumped up with excitement and sped out of the room at lightning speed. **"Whoa! Slow down,"** Bonnie yelled behind them, not expecting them to listen one bit. Once they were out of earshot, Bonnie turned to Klaus. All traces of humor fled her face and in its place was a stony glare.

**"Did you kill him," **she asked._Him_ meaning Elijah. Klaus gave a sinister smirk.

**"No, but I imagine he's wishing he was dead about now."** Bonnie's heart sunk to the pit of her belly.

**"Nik, what did you do to him?" **The panic in her voice made Klaus growl. He leaned in close to where she sat opposite of him until they were a breath away from one another.

**"I tore his throat out and sunk a dagger in his chest,"** he boasted. Bonnie held her stomach and looked away. Klaus took satisfaction as the color drained from her face. **"No worries, Love. I promised to deliver you to him," **he falsely consoled. When Bonnie glanced up at him, he smiled and added, **"in pieces." **She shook her head in horror.

**"Your issues are with me, not Elijah. He could go permanently insane, Klaus,"** she urged. **"Let him go," **she demanded. Klaus glared at her. He placed his hands on her kneecaps and squeezed them tightly.

**"Let me catch you up to speed, Bonnie. You are done calling the shots,"** he stressed. For ten years she made asinine decisions that negatively impacted his life. That shit was over now. Klaus violently gripped Bonnie's chin, forcing her to look at him. It was then that he noticed the unshed tears she held for his brother. The sight made him want to reach into her chest and relieve her of her heart. **"I will let Elijah rot for the next ten centuries if I see fit,"** he asserted. A sob tore through Bonnie's chest as hopelessness began to fester within. She had no clue how to fix the mess she caused.

**"Nik, please," **she begged.** "He doesn't deserve this, it was my fault, I begged him not to tell you." **The more she cried for his brother, the angrier he became.

**"Where was this concern for me, Bonnie?" **His question seared like a hot knife. **"You left like I never fucking mattered to you!" **Klaus's volcanic anger resurfaced as he gripped the back of Bonnie's neck. He stood to his feet and pulled her up with him. Using his human strength, he pushed her into the corner of the room and flashed in front of her. Bonnie gasped for air, flinching at every sudden movement.

**"This right here is exactly why I fucking left!" **Her voice was like icicles. Bonnie's bottom lip trembled with fear of what was to come. She could kill Klaus in an instant if he pushed her to that point but for the twins' sake, it was in her best interest to keep him alive. Bonnie held her throat, forcing herself to stand tall. **"You are unbearable. How was I supposed to trust you with the lives of our children when you can't even control your fucking anger!" **Bonnie's truth burned like venom and wrapped itself around Klaus. Knowing that Bonnie was fearful of him created conflicting emotions. Each time the vampire raged, the wolf held him back. It was truly frustrating. Klaus wasn't a man of reason whenever he was angered, but Bonnie challenged him to see things from her perspective, even when he didn't want to.

His ears twitched at the sound of the twins shuffling around downstairs. His awareness of them forced him to take a step away from their mother. Her words left him in a trance. He was a terrible person without question. The fact that Bonnie felt that way about him, even after he opened up to her as he had with no one else, pained him. As though there was no one left on earth that believed in him.

Bonnie watched as Klaus visibly recoiled. Her words, though harsh, had their intended effect. She refused to raise her children in a volatile climate that they'd have to heal from as adults. Their father had been raised in one and she wanted to break that cycle. She didn't want them to end up like either of them.

Bonnie took a step closer to him and cupped his face in her hand. Klaus stared through her, his thoughts a million miles away. **"I'm not saying your anger isn't valid, Nik. It's your reaction to that anger that gives me pause," **she explained. Klaus prohibited himself from leaning into her touch. His eyes closed as he listened to the sounds around him. The rhythm of three hearts beating as one calmed him just enough. He opened his eyes to find Bonnie still staring up at him. His golden irises reflected in her vision. He didn't know what to make of her and her effect on him.

**"What happens when they become teenagers and begin acting out? Are you gonna dagger them too?" **Bonnie's question was valid and Klaus didn't like that.

**"I would never,"** he urged. Bonnie stared at him with something that resembled hope in her eyes. **"I doubt the daggers would work on them anyway,"** he added offhandedly. His children, like him, were virtually indestructible. Bonnie frowned and dropped her hand.

**"You're missing the point," **she chastised. Klaus watched as the small fraction of hope in her eyes began to dwindle. His chest swelled with slight panic that led him to grip her hands in his and clutched it close to his chest.

**"What did I do to make you lose faith in me?"** His emotions were everywhere. While she could piss him off to the brink of insanity, she could also calm his raging sea of emotions. Bonnie was almost taken aback by the sudden vulnerability he allowed her to see. The question broke her heart.

**"Nothing," **she choked out. She stared at their hands. His warmth engulfed her and she couldn't help the relief she felt at having him close, even if he wanted to murder her. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to bask in his ambiance. She wondered if she was nuts. **"I was too afraid to give you a chance."**

-X-

Klaus was riddled with pent up energy that he needed to release. His emotions were on a rollercoaster ride and he fluctuated from one extreme to the next. One minute he wanted to tear Bonnie into thousands of pieces and the next, he wanted to lock her into a room and spend hours reclaiming what was his. He was forced to sit through dinner like a normal human being, but the full moon that loomed in the night sky beckoned him to go outside and sink his fangs into any and everything. He sat at the table watching Bonnie and the twins interact, twitching his leg. He was ready to shift; his glowing eyes confirmed as much. Bonnie showed no signs of noticing his demeanor as she doted on Nikolina and Nicky. Klaus was split down the middle. As much as he wanted to stay and bask in their presence, his wolf was dying to escape.

Bonnie poured hot water into four mugs, dispersing one of each to Klaus and the twins. Without hesitation, the twins began to drink their tea but Klaus paused. He could smell the herbs.

**"What is this,"** he questioned. Bonnie offered a timid smile.

**"It helps with the urges," **she explained. So she _had_ noticed. As Klaus sat silently, Bonnie could feel the tension coming off of him in waves. Being around him after so many years did not change things. She was still sensitive to his presence.

Klaus began to protest when he noticed her drinking the 'tea' as well. His eyebrows lifted in question. **"Despite what you may think, it hasn't been easy being away from you for a decade,"** she countered. Klaus stared at her for a while before slowly raising the porcelain mug to his lips, trying not to analyze her words. From the first gulp, he felt the magic of the herbs begin to engulf him in comfort and by the fourth sip, he was fifty percent calm.

**"What is this,"** he asked for the second time.

**"It's a calming tea I use for the twins. They haven't shifted yet but each full moon, they go through the motions. The tea helps to settle them," **she said.

**"Why haven't they shifted,"** he asked before turning to the twins to address them directly. He had to stop doing that. **"Why haven't you two shifted?" **The twins looked at one another and blushed in unison. The sight warmed his dead heart.

**"Go on,"** Bonnie goaded, smiling. Of all times for them to get shy…

**"Mom said we could shift whenever we liked," **Nicky began, **"but she wanted our first time to be with you."** Instinctively, Klaus looked toward Bonnie who simply smiled softly. He didn't know what to say to this revelation.

Bonnie watched as Klaus struggled with his emotions. In her heart, she dreamed of uniting their family and while she was the enemy that had stolen so many precious moments from him, she wanted there to be something that Klaus could cherish. She couldn't think of anything better than them bonding over their very nature as hybrids. It was the one thing that she couldn't teach them; the one thing Klaus had over her.

**"I can't teach them how to be hybrids so, I figured I'd leave that one for you," **Klaus stared at the pair of eyes that looked up at him in wonder.

**"I can do that," **he promised.

-X-

After dinner, the twins spent three hours going back and forth, sharing stories and memories with their father. They couldn't believe he was finally there with them. Their mother had done a great job of explaining their father to them but to have him there in the flesh was indescribable. For once, they felt complete. They felt it and Klaus felt it. Bonnie left them alone to put the kitchen back together and then retired to her room. She and her children shared numerous moments. She wanted them to have a moment with just their father. It was the very least she could do.

Klaus found Bonnie sitting at her vanity. Her heart rate increased as it always did whenever he neared her. Their eyes met in the mirror and Bonnie tried to measure his countenance. He seemed relaxed—as relaxed as he could be given the circumstances. Klaus stood in silence, watching Bonnie with a curiousness that mirrored that of his offsprings. When they weren't arguing, neither of them knew what to say to the other. They were under the same roof, yet thousands of miles apart. The separation drove Klaus insane.

**"Come back to New Orleans."** Despite his light tone, Bonnie knew that it wasn't a request, but a demand. Defiance swelled her chest and Bonnie shut her eyes to contain her anger. She knew this was coming, planned it for years. Still, her pride wanted her to kick against the pricks. She never fancied being told what to do.

Klaus was ready for a fight. Everything with Bonnie was a fight. Her stubbornness is what turned him on most. It also made him want to crumble her in his fists. Her strong-willed nature struggled to keep its autonomy where he was concerned. Perhaps that is why she left and stayed gone for so long.

**"Am I supposed to just give up my life here all because you said so?"** Bitterness decorated her icy tone.

**"Yes."** He didn't have time to beat around the bush. Bonnie looked at him incredulously, to which Klaus responded simply with a raised brow; a silent threat for her to defy him. **"I'm allowing you to live after the shit you've pulled. I wouldn't tempt me if I were you,"** he warned.

**"We both know you won't kill me," **she spat confidently. **"So quit with the threats."**

**"And neither can you, Love," **he countered as he closed the distance between them. He smirked as he leaned in close to her, staring at her reflection in the vanity mirror. **"Since we're at a stalemate, I suppose we have no choice but to get creative," **he offered. "**And since I've been at this much longer than you…" **his voice trailed off as he placed a gentle kiss at the crook of her neck that sent a small shiver down her spine. Klaus smiled at her reaction. **"I don't think you want to start barking up that tree, Love."**

Suddenly uncomfortable with their proximity to one another, Bonnie stood to her feet and walked to the opposite side of the room. She hugged her midsection as she tried to control the pulse of her magic. Those urges she got each full moon were just below the surface, begging for a release she couldn't afford.

**"I'll let you break the news to them," **Bonnie muttered. Klaus chuckled, watching her with a knowing grin.

**"I already have, Darling."**

* * *

**A/N:** First and foremost, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews, the follows, favorites, everything. My goal with this story (and all of them really) is to blur the 'good guy, bad guy' lines. I hope the flashbacks are meaningful and not confusing and mind-numbing. They serve a purpose I swear!

Also, thank you for your candor when it comes to Bonnie and her actions, haha. She's made a series of detrimental decisions in this story that have brought them all to this point and as they navigate through the chapters, there will be a lot of emotions flaring and truth reveals and messiness before they can heal and move on lol. Depending on how you look at things, Bonnie is the villain in this one. However, every good villain has a strong motive.

Until next time... :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: **There is a bit of physical and emotional violence towards the beginning of the chapter.

* * *

**South of France  
**Present Day

When Klaus left the room, Bonnie was left to her thoughts. Anxiety filled her heart as she pondered her next course of action. With every hour of each passing day, Elijah suffered the agony of a werewolf bite and while it couldn't kill him, it had the potential to leave lasting effects. Bonnie was in a dilemma. Klaus's anger was now stable and only a fool would do something that would set him on edge again. Still, she needed to figure out how to rescue Elijah from the prison he was in. The two of them knew there would be consequences for their deceit, however, neither one of them was ready for the repercussions.

**"I'm so sorry, Elijah," **Bonnie whispered as she clutched his Armani blazer. She needed to feel close to him, even if for a moment. Through the years, Elijah became the source of her peace. He always knew what to say to calm her nerves. The fact that he was facing torment on her behalf made her restless.

Bonnie's tears stained the blazer she held close to her chest and for a moment, she allowed herself to mourn Elijah. Knowing that Klaus could walk in at any moment did not deter her. She allowed herself to release the emotions she had bottled that day. She wanted to warn Tyler and rescue Elijah but, in the predicament she was currently in, she couldn't do either. She felt utterly hopeless.

**"Mom?" **The sound of Nicky's voice made her inhale sharply as she sat up straight. Instantly, she was on high alert. She cleared her throat and called out over her shoulder, trying to keep the tears from her voice.

**"Yeah, Baby?" **She closed her eyes at the slight tremble in her voice. Nicky took a step into the room and moved to sit next to his mother. Bonnie placed Elijah's blazer on the opposite side of the bench, out of Nicky's sight.

**"Why are you crying?"** Nicky looked troubled. His mother never cried. Bonnie offered a small smile and reached out to gently caress the side of his face.

**"I'm just overwhelmed right now, that's all." **Bonnie was never one to lie to her children; sugarcoat, maybe.

**"Is it because of dad being back?" **Bonnie thought about his question and nodded slightly. **"I can ask him to leave if you want," **Bonnie smiled wide at his offer.

**"I appreciate your concern,"** she grinned while leaning in to give him an Eskimo kiss. **"Your father has waited a long time to meet you and your sister, so we won't ask him to leave, okay?" **Nicky gave her another look of concern before nodding. His arms wrapped around her waist and he gave her a squeeze that was tighter than a normal ten-year-old should be capable of. Bonnie's heart warmed and instantly—if only for a moment, she felt better.

**"It's a full moon,"** she pointed out. **"Are you guys thinking about shifting?"  
**

**"Lina doesn't want to. She says she doesn't want us to see her turn. I think she's just scared," **Nicky teased. Bonnie giggled.**  
**

**"Oooor, maybe she doesn't want to get naked in front of her father and her 'little' brother," **Bonnie countered. If she knew her daughter, that was probably it. The girl was just as much of a prude as Bonnie had been at that age.

**"Gross! I didn't think of that,"** Nicky frowned, earning a laugh from Bonnie. **"I changed my mind! She can shift by herself!"** Nicky shivered in disgust before standing to his feet, running out of the room at human speed. Bonnie shook her head and stood as well. She placed Elijah's blazer back on its hanger and shoved it to the back of her closet. Her skin prickled as every hair on her body stood at attention and before she could question her reaction, she heard his voice.

**"Do you love him?" **Klaus's voice rattled her chest. Bonnie closed her eyes and exhaled before turning to face him. Her heart pounded in fear; fear she knew he could sense.

**"Nik, I've had enough arguments for one day, not now," **she tried to assert. When Klaus didn't move, she rolled her eyes heavenward and pinched the bridge of her nose.

**"Yes, Nik, I love him. We've grown closer over the years, it was bound to happen." **She was careful with how she chose her words. The anxiety from earlier came flooding back and at that moment she was a ball of nerves. Klaus diminished the space between them, trapping her between his body and the closet door.

**"Let me rephrase it, then," **he said, lifting her chin so that they were eye to eye. **"Are you _in_ love with him?" **Bonnie wondered if Klaus loved to torture himself by asking questions he already knew the answer to.

**"I don't know,"** she answered truthfully. **"We never explored it." **She didn't want to get into the details of what all has happened between her and Elijah. It would only piss him off more. Her heart thudded rapidly while she waited on bated breath for Klaus's next move. Truthfully, she wanted to be left alone to her thoughts, but Klaus was all-consuming. It was never over until he decided it was.

Klaus glared at Bonnie for a moment longer before slowly backing away from her. He watched as relief washed over her features. It was hard to believe anything she said. He could hardly believe the situation they were currently in. He planned to simply find her, kill her, and finally put everything to rest. This predicament they were in was completely out of his element.

Klaus turned his back to her, trying to gain control of the anger that began to resurface. Killing her was off the table—yes—but, he wanted her to suffer; to inflict the same amount of pain as she had. It wasn't enough to threaten those she loved; she expected as much. He needed to turn her world upside down.

Klaus was out of the room and down the hall when a sinister thought came to mind. In a flash, he appeared before her once again. She was drained from the day they'd had and wanted it all to end but Klaus wasn't satisfied. He was a predator and the vampire in him needed to be sated. Impulsively, he tore into his wrists and forced it to Bonnie's mouth. Her muffled screams traveled up to his elbows as she struggled to break free of him. His free hand pinched her nose, forcing her to inhale through her mouth. Immediately, she began choking as his blood entered her throat. She used her magic to push him away from her as she fell against the bed. The realization of what he planned to do paralyzed her with fear. She held her arms out as Klaus took a step towards her. Bonnie gurgled on his blood as she slowly inched away from him on the bed. Her magic surged to protect her but fear wouldn't allow her to act.

**"Please." **The tears she cried threatened to tug at his heartstrings. Still, he stared down at her, emotionless. **"Please don't do this, Klaus. I'm begging you!"** There it was. The remorse he'd been lacking from her. The sorrow in her voice vindicated him and he finally felt as if he was in control of the situation. He had her exactly where he wanted.

He took another step towards her and watched as Bonnie broke down in tears. In truth, he wasn't sure if this is how he wanted to punish her. Her magic was who she was and without it, Klaus wasn't sure what he'd be stuck with. Still, knowing that he could end it all for her was satisfying. He was sick of her having control over him.

**"Why shouldn't I?" **It was a simple question that Bonnie didn't have an answer for. She simply closed her eyes and prayed silently to a God that had abandoned her at an early age. She was always a fighter when it came to facing her fears but this time, she was frozen with pure terror. When she failed to answer, Klaus closed the distance between them and grabbed her arms, pulling her against his chest. **"ANSWER ME!" **

Bonnie yelped in fear, refusing to look at him. Her heart raced as she struggled to come to grips with what was about to happen to her. Fear caused her thoughts to race into one infinite run-on sentence. She was prepared to die for her transgressions but she couldn't say she anticipated this. Looking back on it, she wasn't sure why this moment never crossed her mind. Being turned was a fear she thought she overcame. Now, she felt as if she was hopelessly staring into the barrel of a gun. Of all the things she could imagine him doing to her, this, by far, was the worst.

Even before she found out she was a witch, in hindsight, Bonnie always knew she was different. She felt different. Her magic was always buried just beneath the surface. Abby had described being turned as a hollowness she couldn't get rid of. Bonnie did not want that. She would rather die first.

Except, she had two reasons not to.

The gravity of her current predicament slammed into her, head-on and dread washed over her from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.

This could not be happening.

**"I don't know." **It was the truth. She didn't have a reason for why he should spare her. No answer felt good enough. Klaus gripped the back of her neck violently, pushing her down on the bed. Bonnie toppled over, gripping the sheets so that she wouldn't fall to the floor. Her crippling fear wouldn't allow her to get angry. Instead of retaliating, Bonnie recoiled away from him. Her trust in him was completely shattered and she wondered if this is how he felt towards her.

It was.

-X-

**South of France  
**Ten Years Ago

_Elijah didn't know much about Bonnie. The young woman was elusive. Upon her arrival in New Orleans, Elijah couldn't conceive why on earth Miss Bennett would ever willingly seek their comfort. Coming home to find her and his brother in the throes of passion was certainly an eyebrow-raiser. Elijah kept his distance and allowed them their privacy. _

_Miss Bennett made it known during her short stay that she wasn't his biggest fan. His threats towards her and Elena led the Salvatores to make the ghastly decision to turn her mother into a vampire. To make matters worse, his only apology was to Elena of all people. He was not without blame and Bonnie made it abundantly clear. _

_Their conversations were limited, but Bonnie was at least cordial during her time in New Orleans. He didn't remember much about her except that she loved Paris and wanted to visit one day._

_It baffled Elijah how that one small detail about her led him to find her several months after she left the city. He made it his personal mission to find Miss Bennett and bring her back to his grieving brother. He drafted several scenarios he could run into when he found her, however, he never expected to find a heavily pregnant Bennett Witch waiting tables at a small family-owned restaurant just outside of the city._

_Her skin glistens with sweat as she moves about the small dining area. Her swollen ankles supported her and her massive belly. Elijah wonders if Bonnie ran to hide her infidelity against his brother. The thought made him furious. Elijah quietly sits at a table just out of Bonnie's view, watching as he waited for her to notice him._

_It didn't take long._

_Bonnie grows stiff, unsure of Elijah's intentions. She glances around quickly for any signs of Niklaus. Her heart beats wildly and Baby A stirs in protest. Bonnie places a hand on her belly and exhales slowly, praying that the hyperactive child calms down._

_The store owner comes over in concern when he notices Bonnie's uneasy countenance and immediately, she takes the chance to play the pregnancy card. It was the first time since she began working that she shirked on her responsibilities, but she promises to make it up later with extra hours._

_Once excused, Bonnie gathers her things and immediately leaves the restaurant, Elijah in tow. Her heart rate increases when he appears in front of her. Her eyes sting with tears, her heart cripples with fear._

**_"He doesn't know,"_**_ she blurts out. Elijah perks a brow._

**_"Come again?" _**_He asks, removing his hands from his pockets. Bonnie trembles as she grips her jacket and purse for security. Her magic coils beneath the surface, ready to strike if he tries anything, however, given her current state, she isn't sure how an attack would pan out._

**_"Klaus, he doesn't know. I left as soon as I found out. Please don't tell him. He'll kill me for keeping them from him," _**_she pleads. Elijah is floored._

**_"Them?" _**_It's the only word he can focus on. Bonnie closes her eyes when she realizes her slip-up._

**_"Yes," _**_she confirms. _**_"Twins." _**_Elijah listens closely. Without the distraction of the restaurant patrons, he can now hear three hearts beating in unison. The air in his lungs diminishes and his hardened glare softens immediately._

**_"Are they…?" _**_He cannot bring himself to ask. Bonnie's gaze hardens._

**_"You will not insult me that way, Elijah,"_**_ she hissed. _**_"Of course they're his!"_**_  
_

**_"It's a valid question, Miss Bennett. I assure you, I meant no harm by it. You've been gone for months and now I find you with a swollen belly,"_**_ Elijah pauses, trying to sort his thoughts. _**_"My brother's been with several women throughout the centuries and none of them have come away carrying his seed,"_**_ he explains. _**_"How am I to know what to think?" _**_Bonnie relaxes slightly as she realizes how this comes across to Elijah. Still, she is on edge. She never expected to be discovered so quickly and by Elijah, no less._

_Unable to stop himself, Elijah reaches out with a tentative hand and holds her belly. Bonnie flinches slightly and watches him with keen interest as he stares in awe. _**_"I'm not sure how it happened. I thought I was crazy,"_**_ Bonnie begins to explain, recalling the night she discovered she was pregnant. _**_"I was terrified."_**_ She shook as she recalled the feelings she felt. She didn't know what was happening at first but quickly suspected that, despite the insurmountable odds, she might be pregnant. She thought she was utterly crazy but three positive pregnancy tests and a trip to a clinic confirmed her suspicions._

**_"Why didn't you tell us?" _**_Was all Elijah wanted to know. Though he couldn't say for certain how Klaus would react to the news, learning that he could potentially be gaining an heir_—_heirs_—_to his 'throne' may delight him._

**_"You all didn't have the best examples in terms of parenting," _**_Bonnie said without judgment in her tone. _**_"And Nik…" _**_She pauses as she thinks of her forgotten lover. The ache in her is chest ever-present. _**_"I didn't know what he'd do to me if he didn't believe me so, I ran." _**

**_"You are more than capable of taking care of yourself, Miss Bennett," _**_Elijah pointed out fervently. So far, all he heard was minuscule excuses to keep a member—members—from their family away from them. His eyes hardened slightly as he regarded her with more suspicion. _

**_"Yes, I am," _**_she agrees, _**_"but I am carrying two lives inside of me that are linked to Klaus. I don't know how the sire lines work when it comes to 'miracle pregnancies'. All I know is that if Klaus dies, so do they. If he attacked me and I had to kill him…"_**_ Her voice cracks with tears and she looks away. Her green eyes shimmer as she contemplates her emotions. Elijah's hard features soften with understanding._

**_"I couldn't allow him to kill me,"_**_ she continued with a stronger voice, _**_"and I couldn't kill him so, I did the only thing I could think of in the heat of the moment, I ran." _**_Her eyes met his. _**_"It wasn't the best decision, it was the only decision. At least until I can figure out what to do next." _**_She rationalized that if she had the children before facing Klaus, they'd stand a better chance at surviving, even if she didn't. Klaus is volatile. She would not leave her children's fate in the hands of 'hope'._

_Elijah studies Bonnie for a long, silent moment. Their gazes lock, each anticipating the other's move. As he sifts through her words, looking for a lie, Elijah ponders what to do next. He felt as though he was at a crossroads and the demon before him, though beautiful, was threatening him with his own fate._

_To tell Klaus or to pretend this meeting in a small tavern outside of Paris never happened?_

**_"What do you plan to do next?" _**_Elijah wanted to know all the information before he made his decision._

**_"I don't know,"_**_ Bonnie answers truthfully. _**_"Right now I just want to give birth safely."_**_ As her pregnancy progressed, it became harder for Bonnie to carry out day to day tasks. She was already advised by the French physician she frequented to go on bed rest but financially, it wasn't possible._

_In hindsight, Elijah's arrival was divine intervention. _

**_"I can protect you against him," _**_Elijah offered. _**_"Come with me and I will handle my brother for you." _**_Bonnie goes still at his request._

**_"Elijah…" _**

**_"You cannot ask me to keep this from him," _**_he asserts. Bonnie closes her eyes. Tears stain her face as she prays silently to no one._

**_"I'm simply asking you to pretend you never saw me. At least until I give birth." _**_Elijah was not having it._

**_"He deserves to know." _**

**_"My children deserve a fighting chance! Elijah…" _**_Bonnie huffed. Her patience was wearing thin. _**_"If I have to run forever, that's what I'll do. I'm not going back to him, not now, not anytime soon." _**_Defiance settles in her jaw and the two of them stare each other off. Elijah knew better than most that there is no arguing with a Bennett once they've made up their minds. The threat of her taking his nieces, nephews, or both, crippled him. Life on the run was no way to live._

_Elijah grimaces at the similarities between Klaus and their father as he imagines Bonnie on the run with children too small to understand what was happening. Stability was something that eluded him and his siblings for thousands of years. He didn't want the next generation to suffer the same fate._

_It was this thought, this understanding, that motivated him for the next ten years._

**_"Then allow me to assist you with their care."_**

_-X-_

_It was only when Elijah arrived at Bonnie's 'cavern' did he realize the 'deplorable' (his words), conditions she lived in. Bonnie was prideful and had worked hard to create a little cove to call home for herself and her children. But it was just that, a little cove. Her flat adorned a simple divider that separated the living room from the bedroom and while it was decorated beautifully, it was no condition for a mother of two. Elijah wondered what Bonnie's end goal was._

**_"You cannot raise children here," _**_he said with a bit of scorn in his voice. The Mikaelsons were used to opulence._

**_"It'll do," _**_Bonnie counters in a flat tone. Elijah has insulted her enough for a lifetime without uttering one rude word. His tone and looks of disgust were enough. _**_"As long as they're healthy…" _**_Elijah closes his eyes at her nonchalance, his jaw ticks with frustration._

**_"Miss Bennett, you are going to be a mother to children, not cattle," _**_Elijah admonishes. Bonnie squints her eyes in warning. Elijah continues unscathed. _**_"Do not presume to tell me that your plan is to drag them across the continent with no thought to it. Life on the run is not ideal for anyone." _**_Bonnie was used to Elijah's constant resolve. This was the only time he has ever spoken to her in such a strict tone._

_His words repeated on a loop in her mind and Bonnie suddenly understands why he is so put-off by her decision to live on the run. The Mikaelson siblings spent the better half of their thousand-year existence on the run from their father. A father who tried hard to vanquish them._

_Bonnie's eyes soften. History had a nasty habit of repeating itself._

**_"What am I supposed to do, Elijah?"_**_ Frustration plagues her. _**_"I'm doing the best that I can with the cards I've been dealt. Do you think I want to drag them from pillar to post? I want stability but right now I can't provide that,"_**_ Bonnie's eyes stung with tears as she confessed her shortcomings. She was barely out of her teens and suddenly had to think about not just her life but two others. The stress was weighing on her._

_Elijah watches as the young girl struggles to keep herself from unraveling before him. He mistook her nonchalance as indifference when it was not. It was a defense mechanism. He knew all about those._

**_"I can help you,"_**_ Elijah insists. _**_"If you'll have me." _**_During his brief time in Mystic Falls, while plotting against his brother, Elijah noticed one small thing about Bonnie. She was used to being alone. She was used to doing everything alone. Why he assumed this time would be any different, he'd never know. The girl was an island and he noticed it on more than one occasion. Once, in particular, was when he caught her studying Emily Bennett's grimoire alone while the rest of her friends attended some stupid social event. Even when she attended said events, she was usually fighting for their lives._

_Always alone._

_-X-_

_After major convincing, Bonnie allowed Elijah to at least find more suitable living arrangements for her and the children. She was wary of him, to say the least, but she had his word, at least for now, that her secret was his secret. Elijah would work on persuading her to return to New Orleans later._

_Except later never came._

_Each time he tried, Bonnie shot him down with yet another 'valid' excuse and over the years, Elijah began to wonder if Miss Bennett had charmed him in some way. He was sure she had bewitched him. Each time he tried to coax her out of hiding, she would plead her case and each time he gave in._

_He was always a sucker for a pretty face._

_And so, while his brother rampaged over the loss of his mate, Elijah kept her tucked away, waiting for the right moment that would never come._

* * *

**A/N:** Alrighty, there you have it. Right now, Klonnie is in the process of ripping the bandages off so they will have several volatile, high-charged, emotional scenes lol. This story is angst-ridden as hell lol but they will get there eventually. This chapter sheds light on Elijah's motivation as well as Klaus's. Just to make things a bit clear, Klaus was being impulsive when he threatened to turn Bonnie. It was a control tactic. True to Klaus's nature, when he feels like his control is slipping away, he lashes out to gain the upper hand in situations. Right now he's mad as shit at Bonnie lol, rightfully so. He can't kill her and they both know it and her lack of remorse and her composure only served to send his ass over the edge so he had to ruffle her feathers the only way he knew how and hell it worked. He couldn't have her out here thinking he got to the top of the food chain being a pushover. He's Klaus motherfucking Mikaelson lol. Fret not, these two live to push each other's buttons so it's far from over. This is getting long, I apologize. Thank you so much for your kind reviews and your interest in this story. I planned for this to be a one-shot but my muses took over and here I am. If you're reading NCITW, It'll be a while before I add to that one but I am working on it. So if you see this story getting frequent updates, don't smite me. I have about three more chapters of this written already, I'm just editing and adding layers. Blah. Thank you for your time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Paris, France**  
Present Day

When faced with a defining moment, you either grasp it or allow it to pass. Too many times, Tyler allowed it to pass. Running into Bonnie and the twins was a defining moment in his life to exact revenge against Klaus; he allowed it to pass. Choosing to stay away from Bonnie in the name of self-preservation, he let it pass. It would seem that, as he contemplated the last several years of his life, the moments he chose to grasp brought him one step closer to death.

He grasped the moment to be freed from a life of solitude. He grasped the moment he allowed himself to grow closer to Bonnie. He grasped the moment he allowed his desire for her to consume him. He allowed himself to feel after being on the run for over a decade.

And he didn't regret it in the slightest.

Currently, he sat in The Louvre in the exact seat Bonnie sat in when they first laid eyes on one another, years after of blowing the dust of their podunk town off their feet. At the time, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't fathom how _The_ Bonnie Bennett fell into Klaus's web of toxicity.

Everyone in his life had a link to Klaus. Bonnie, The Twins, Caroline…

It incinerated him that even while being banished, Klaus found different ways to (indirectly) taunt him. It was why a selfish part of him always took satisfaction of winning Bonnie's heart—a very small portion of it, at least.

He knew deep down Bonnie would never be able to pluck Klaus from her heart. They were mated. Tyler always assumed Bonnie knew about the bond but, as he looked back on small clues, he realized she truly didn't know.

Wolves usually only mated with other wolves and the moment it happened, they knew. But there were no textbooks about anything supernatural, only lores written in grimoires, usually by witches that have gone mad. And though Tyler had his suspicions, he never mentioned it to Bonnie. He didn't want to know. It was easier to ignore.

Being with Bonnie was always borrowed time for him. Though faint, Klaus's scent was a part of hers. But as they grew closer, it was easier to ignore. In a way, this was Tyler's revenge. In a twist of fate, the odds were in his favor for once. Klaus had taken everything from him and while it may have been wrong morally, Tyler's heart justified his actions.

He loved Bonnie and would do anything to be with her.

His wolf wanted to claim her for himself but Klaus had beaten him to the punch. Still, it didn't stop him from imprinting. He couldn't help it. Imprinting was different from mating. Imprinting was one-sided, typically. It was the first step in the mating process and Tyler was forever stuck in it until he found someone else to imprint upon.

But he didn't want anyone else. He wanted Bonnie.

It placed him in a peculiar predicament. Bonnie feared for his life and therefore, sent him away. He didn't care about self-preservation if it meant being away from her. It was crazy. He left only because she wanted him to, not because he was afraid of dying. Still, he couldn't leave too far. He had to stay close enough in case she needed him—in case Klaus wasn't in the forgiving mood if or when he arrived.

Bonnie's intuition as a witch never failed. He knew she sent him away with good reason but he couldn't help but feel threatened by Klaus's presence. Though the bond had weakened from years of being apart, he knew that the moment the two of them crossed paths again it was curtains for him. It was amazing that she went this long without him and Tyler suspected that it was because she wasn't a wolf. Had she been one, Bonnie wouldn't have left; the pull was too strong, or so he heard. Even now, he felt an urge to be with her after months of being apart. The situation he was in was dire and Tyler accepted the moment he fell for her that his days on earth were numbered.

Every day, he sat in this spot and stared at his phone, waiting on her to call and tell him the coast was clear and every day, he left disappointed. When he got back to his apartment in Puteaux, located not far from the Eiffel Tower, he wrote letters. Letters she never responded too. He had to believe she received them. At night he dreamed about her and many times, he had to stop himself from driving eight hours to Cassis to check on her.

Being away drove him nuts.

Given that the museum was soon set to close, Tyler stood to his feet and was about to call it a day when his phone chimed. His undead heart skipped a beat.

Only one person had this number.

He checked the phone and nearly growled at the text message.

**_Klaus is here. We're moving soon so we won't be here for long. I love you so much and I cherish the time we had together, but to keep you safe, I have to let you go. I'm so sorry. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Please don't be a hero, Ty. I mean it. Live for yourself and don't worry about us. We'll be okay. I just need you to be okay too._**

**_I love you._**

**_-Bonnie_**

Tyler's brown eyes glowed yellow.

Like hell he would.

-X-

**'Home' Bound**  
Currently…

The stability Bonnie and Elijah worked so hard to establish for the twins was pulled from under them the moment Klaus arrived. Everything Bonnie worked hard to prevent was happening and their future was now uncertain. Thankfully, the twins saw it as an adventure. To finally travel to America where their mother grew up. The private jet Klaus chartered wasn't big enough to contain the two of them. Bonnie sat still while the twins ran up and down the aisle. During the journey, Bonnie retreated within herself. After texting Tyler, she turned the phone off and packed it in the lining of her luggage. She prayed that Tyler took heed to her advice but had an inkling suspicion that he wouldn't.

Tyler was just as stubborn as she.

She could have fought against leaving with Klaus but thoughts of Elijah suffering in a pine box motivated her to go along with whatever Klaus had planned.

And what did he have planned?

Klaus wasn't certain.

None of this was apart of his plan. He was to return to New Orleans with the body parts of a Bennett Witch in his suitcase but instead, he was returning with two new additions to his family. Family he couldn't protect while they were an ocean away. Family he honestly had no fucking clue what to do with. His head was still reeling.

The twins didn't seem to mind the change.

Bonnie—well, he didn't care about how she felt. Not once in ten years did she regard his feelings.

Still, he silently watched her from the opposite side of the plane as she sat idly, unflinching in a daze. He wanted to choke her and hold her at the same time. To know what thoughts ran through her mind. To know whether or not if it was another she was thinking of and not him. Tyler, perhaps? Maybe Elijah? Both? The thought made him furious beyond understanding and he wondered if this is what karma felt like. In his thousand years of wrongdoing, this felt like a strange bout of penance. Her betrayal cut so deep it threatened to send him into a flying fit of rage any time he dwelled on it too long.

But unlike other times, he couldn't act on his rage. Not without damaging his children and proving her right. No, he had to prove her wrong. It was the only way he knew how to make her pay. Make her miss what she could have had if only she had come to him.

Why didn't she give him a chance?

The question burned him up. Though their tryst was short, it was more real than anything Klaus had ever felt. Blood, magic, and alcohol helped, but his heightened feelings as a hybrid propelled him over a cliff and for three months, he slept, ate, and breathed Bonnie Bennett. She consumed him more than any bloodlust he's ever felt. She incinerated him more than any rage he's ever felt. It happened so quickly, he was never able to recover from her.

Humans would say she was the 'one that got away'.

Except she ran, intentionally. Leaving him in millions of broken shards to piece back together on his own.

The thought brought him to his feet and without a word to anyone, he retired to his quarters. He needed a moment to calm the fuck down.

-X-

**New Orleans**  
Several Days Later

Aurora de Martel anticipated Klaus's arrival. When he left, she was ensured she'd have his undivided attention once he returned. The two of them picked up where their romance left off after being apart for almost a millennium, but Aurora suspected that Klaus's heart resided with another. Jealously wouldn't allow her to rest until he plucked whoever kept the two of them from truly being together from his heart. She anticipated Klaus's devotion when he returned.

She did not anticipate two children with his eyes along with the mother that bore them.

Bonnie Bennett.

She was something like a phenomenon. Aurora had heard of multiple Bennetts throughout the years. The legendary Goddess, Qetsiyah, Ayana, and Emily were among the top three but Bonnie, in her short amount of time, had been known to cause quite the stir in her hometown of Mystic Falls.

Aurora never anticipated meeting a Bennett. They were rare and elusive and at times thought to be nonexistent. The supernatural realm anticipated their impending extinction given the number of times Bonnie had died. What they didn't anticipate was that not only would she thrive, but that she would duplicate.

No one saw that coming.

The two women regarded one another silently. The magic that radiated from her kept Aurora from attacking. Though psychotic, Aurora was no fool. If Bonnie managed to survive Niklaus's fury, she was not to be trifled with.

Still, a challenge presented itself and Aurora couldn't help kicking the bear.

As to where to apply pressure…

**"I'm sure Nik has told you all about me, yes?" **Bonnie hefted her chin and glared at the woman before her. Aurora smiled as she circled Bonnie, eyeing her curiously.

**"No, actually," **Bonnie corrected. Aurora chuckled softly. Bonnie could smell the crazy on her and was ready to defend herself if need be. Aurora waited for Bonnie to inquire about her, frowning when the inquiries never came.

**"Aurora,"** she introduced. **"Nik's first love,"** she clarified, watching Bonnie keenly for any form of reaction.

There wasn't one.

**"Okay?" **With a perked brow, Bonnie waited for a point to be made. She didn't have time to deal with a scorned lover.

**"As to be expected,"** Aurora recovered. **"Nik's never mentioned you and I suppose I find myself curious. I wonder… what did he see in you?" **Before Bonnie could tell Aurora where to go, Klaus's voice sounded from across the courtyard.

**"Ah, there you go, Love!"** At the pet name, both Bonnie and Aurora glanced up and Bonnie silently cursed her instincts. He did that shit on purpose. Klaus grinned proudly as he moved to stand next to Aurora.

**"Have you been keeping Miss Bennett company,"** Klaus asked, rubbing his snub in Bonnie's face. Bonnie fought against rolling her eyes and Aurora snickered. She leaned into Klaus's side and smirked at Bonnie with a satisfied look on her face.

**"I have. Cute little thing,"** Aurora pipped. **"I see why you were intrigued by her." **Bonnie gritted her teeth. Her green eyes flashed with what Klaus perceived as envy. His smirk broadened.

**"Where's Elijah?" **Bonnie asked suddenly. All traces of humor immediately fled Klaus's face. Dark veins flittered beneath his eyes and Klaus flinched as if he was about to attack. Aurora held him in place, slightly perturbed by the reaction Bonnie elicited from him.

A whisper of a smile appeared on Bonnie's lips. It would take more than meaningless flirting to set her off.

**"Elijah is having a bit of R&R," **Aurora answered.** "We're not sure when," **Aurora smirked, **"or if, he'll be back." **Bonnie controlled the impulse to melt the lips off of homegirl's face.

**"You both better hope for your sake that he does,"** Bonnie threatened. Klaus bristled.

**"And if not,"** he asked glaring at her. He took a step forward, challenging her with his looming height. Bonnie stood strong in the face of adversity.

**"If not, you both will be 'relaxing and recuperating' right next to him," **she said, turning on her heels. Aurora gave Klaus a look of expectation, wondering what he planned to do to the mouthy witch. She was annoyed to find him staring after her with an amused glint in his eyes and without thinking, she sped in front of Bonnie, baring her fangs.

**"You better watch your tone, Witch,"** Aurora sneered. Before Bonnie could retaliate, her view was blocked by Klaus's back. Bonnie moved to sidestep him, growling when he moved with her.

**"Aurora, sweetheart, that's no way to treat a guest,"** he grinned. Bonnie tried once again to sidestep him but was headed off when he moved in front of her… again.

**"Put a leash on this bitch, Nik," **Bonnie growled. Aurora lunged at Bonnie but was halted by Klaus's hands on her shoulders.

**"Go wait in the car,"** Klaus said firmly. Aurora glared at Klaus but did as she was told, not before shooting daggers at Bonnie. Bonnie returned the glare and waited until Aurora left before turning her attention to Klaus.

**"Seriously? I am not about to deal with this juvenile bitch the entire time I'm here. Keep her away from me and keep her away from my kids," **Bonnie demanded.

**"Our kids,"** Klaus corrected stoically. Bonnie rolled her eyes.

**"You heard what I said. Don't bring her back here." **Anger rolled off Bonnie in waves and Klaus fought back a grin.

**"I don't think my girlfriend would like that very much. She can get rather possessive. Besides, what's mine is hers," **he antagonized. Bonnie rolled her eyes.

**"****_That _****is a chew toy," **she countered. **"And she's about to share this ass whoopin' with you if she tries me again." **Her threats made him grin.

**"We're back to dog jokes, are we?" **Bonnie glared up at him. She knew she was being petulant but she didn't care. Anger consumed her.

**"I said what I said,"** she doubled down. Klaus glared down at her for a few moments before taking a step back. His light chuckles taunted her.

**"I'll be back later,"** he paused, **"alone."** Bonnie cut her eyes towards him. **"I don't need you setting my girlfriend on fire,"** he teased with a smirk. He turned and began making his way towards the main exit. **"Have the twins ready by this afternoon,"** he called over his shoulders as he made his way out.

-X-

It took Bonnie a while to calm down after Klaus had left. She decided to channel the anger she felt into something productive. It was the first time since they arrived that Klaus had left them alone and while there were no spies in the house, she was sure he had several vampires camped outside, waiting to see if she'd try to make a run for it again.

Capitalizing on this moment, she sprang into action. She allowed her magic to scan the area for any signs of Elijah, hoping beyond hope, he was somewhere on the property. The Abattoir was massive and from the moment she arrived, she began her search for the elder Mikaelson. Without the assistance of magic, Bonnie would have had to search endlessly for him. However, it didn't take long for her to pick up on small traces of his aura.

She was pulled towards his bedroom first. His aura, though weak, still filled the space with the objects he last touched. The lingering scent of his rare and expensive colognes made her nostalgic. She was then led down a dark path towards the back of the house, beyond the massive courtyard. The corridor was ominous and looked like the kind of stuff nightmares were made of. Ivy lined the brick walls and the dank smell of the cold wet bricks tickled at Bonnie's sinuses. She came across a section of the wall and stopped when the trail went cold. Alarmed, she glanced around before trying again to put her 'feelers' out, but the trail stopped at the brick wall. Puzzled, Bonnie frowned at the giant wall before her.

**"What the hell?"** She searched the area for any signs of a door or passageway but there wasn't any. She was about to give up and try a locator spell using something of his in his room when something caught her eye. She walked over to a section of the wall and studied it. The bricks in one particular area appeared brighter and newer than the others and so did the caulking around them. Bonnie gasped slightly as a sinister thought took root.

**"Oh my God,"** she whispered. She placed a hand over the wall and focused on it until her magic penetrated the bricks. When she sensed Elijah, she stumbled back, covering her mouth with her hands.

**"Elijah,"** she choked out a sob as she contemplated what to do next. If she freed him, there was no telling what Klaus would do to either of them, but she couldn't leave him there either. With a sigh, Bonnie closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. She would simply have to deal with Klaus later—her mantra for the past ten years.

Bonnie tried to ignore the quiet guilt.

With a raise of her hand, she used her power to blast away that section of the wall and watched as Elijah's body tumbled forward from the rubble. Instinctively, she moved to catch him, falling with him under the weight of his petrified body. Dust and shards of brick rained down on all around them. Tears of relief stung her eyes the moment she had him back in her arms. She stared down at the silver dagger in his chest and contemplated what she wanted to do with him. To wake him would mean subjecting him to the werewolf venom that was bound to spread at a much rapid pace while he was conscious. That said, her guilt wouldn't let her rest if she simply did nothing.

Plagued with Decision Fatigue, Bonnie used her magic to repair the wall to its original state. She then used her magic to carry Elijah's body back to his room where she laid him on the bed. She watched over his desiccated frame for a few moments before whispering a spell to glamour the room. To the untrained eye, it would look empty which would buy Bonnie time until she figured out a way to cure him. It wasn't the ideal solution but it would have to do until she was able to undo the damage she inadvertently caused.

**"Hang in there, Elijah," **she whispered in his ear. She then kissed his forehead gently and stood to her feet. As tempting as it was to pull the dagger from his chest, she had to keep her emotions in check for his best interest until she could find a way to get Klaus's blood to cure him.

She placed a hand over the werewolf bite, grimacing at the decaying flesh around it. She used her magic to draw some of the toxins out, groaning in pain as her body absorbed Klaus's venom. She held on for as long as she could before finally releasing her magic. The bite looked slightly less severe but it wouldn't last long. It would only buy her some time but she needed as much as she could get.

She wasn't sure how long Elijah could survive this.

* * *

**A/N:** In honor of my late father, I decided to post this chapter on his birthday today! :)

Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed that chapter as I enjoyed writing it. Just to clear some things up. This story is AU and I will address some things as they come up. For now, I will say that yes, Klaus had a history with Caroline but that was sort of a one and done thing and in this story, it was more about antagonizing Tyler and going after what he thought he couldn't have. It pales in comparison to what he shared with Bonnie though because, of course, they were mated so that trumps everything.

Speaking of mating, it works differently in this story than what we're used to. In the show and in many of the werewolf/vampire lore, they have the whole 'mate for life' thing and while that's sort of true in this story, I wanted to give Klaus and Bonnie a bit more autonomy because free will is still a thing. That said, you see Bonnie with Tyler and Klaus with Aurora. This is simply them trying to force themselves to move on but the bond they have hinders it and they both can't stand it. It was only 3 months between them so their heart and their minds are in constant conflict. Their minds are struggling to catch up with what they feel and this is why they're both so damn volatile. :)

I hope I cleared up some things. More will be addressed in the story. Until next time, take care and please be safe. I hope you all are faring well during this time of uncertainty and if not, you have my thoughts and prayers.

Good vibes to you all! Muah!


	9. Chapter 9

**New Orleans**

Present Day

Nikolina furrowed her brows as she tried to concentrate on cleaning her room like she saw Matilda do in the motion picture. It never seemed to work out quite the same. While she could operate certain things one at a time, she could never make everything move simultaneously. What was the point of having magic if she had to do each chore one by one?

**"This sucks,"** she growled. Her blue eyes flashed to gold as she kicked her Bratz doll across the room. Their dad was taking them out later on this afternoon but her mom was making them tidy up first. It had been a week since they came to New Orleans and the adjustment was a bit of a culture shock. Nikolina wasn't used to the stimulants that came with living in the heart of a city. There was noise surrounding them constantly and her advanced hearing wouldn't let her sleep at night.

The recipe for a very grumpy ten-year-old.

Bonnie was passing by her daughter's room when she heard the outburst. She stuck her head in the door frame and watched as Nikolina slammed things around.

**"Why are we angry _today_, Lina?"** Emphasis on 'today'—the little girl had been grumpy all week. Bonnie assumed it was sensory overload from being in a new environment. She watched as her daughter pouted and moved about the room. Her waist-length chestnut-colored hair flowed behind her and Bonnie smiled at her daughter's beauty; even if that scowl reminded her so much of Niklaus.

**"I don't want to clean this stupid room in this stupid house in this stupid city," **she growled. Bonnie bit back a chuckle and moved to sit at the edge of Lina's bed.

**"I thought you were happy about moving," **Bonnie inquired. **"What changed? Talk to me." **Bonnie gently patted the bed and Lina regarded her with a look that was eerily similar to one her father had given occasionally, before taking a seat.

**"I was,"** Lina confessed. **"But I can't sleep. Everything is so noisy and there are so many people and none of them will shut up,"** Bonnie cracked a smile and rubbed Lina's back.

**"I can spell your room so you can't hear the city at night,"** Bonnie offered. Lina sighed.

**"Okay," **she muttered. Bonnie frowned again.

**"What else is wrong?"** At her mother's question, Lina ducked her head. **"I won't get mad,"** Bonnie assured, praying that her daughter didn't send her into cardiac arrest with whatever she had to say. You never knew with children.

**"If Uncle 'Lijah and dad are brothers then where is he? I thought he'd be here." **Her question broke Bonnie's heart.

**"Wherever Elijah is, he's with us in spirit."** Bonnie chose her words carefully. She hated lying to them.** "I'll do everything I can to find him and bring him back to us." **Bonnie kissed the top of Lina's head and the young girl settled into her mother's embrace. She had no reason to doubt Bonnie. Their mother never made promises she couldn't keep.

-X-

Bonnie silently contemplated ways to get Klaus's blood and realized after hours of deep thought that nothing short of the Battle of Armageddon would get him to hand it over willingly. Maybe if she asked nicely…

As absurd as it sounded, that was the only option she had. Ultimately, he'd say no, but at the very least, she would attempt to do things the 'right' way before she resulted to plan B.

Klaus returned without Aurora as promised and Bonnie had to admit that she was relieved. She fully expected him to further antagonize her by rubbing his 'relationship' in her face. It was weird seeing him with someone else; anyone really.

A lot has changed.

She held up her end of the deal and both Nicky and Nikolina was ready, as he requested. Bonnie was curious about where he was taking them but, to ask would probably yield no results. She remained silentas she watched the three of them chat idly with one another. The way they moved in sync—as if they'd never been separated—made Bonnie smile.

**"Is that what you plan to wear?"** He said the words so casually, Bonnie didn't realize that he was speaking to her until three heads turned in her direction, regarding her with a look of expectation. Bonnie glanced down at her attire of jeans and a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Her hair was gathered in a messy bun atop her head and her glasses sat on the brim of her nose.

**"Uh…"** she was taken off guard. **"I didn't realize I was invited?"** The confusion in her voice almost brought a smile to Klaus's face but thoughts of her transgressions quickly chased it away.

**"It's a family outing!"** Nicky expressed happily. **"You're family, Mom." **Though his words were said matter of factly, they almost brought a tear to Bonnie's eyes. She didn't realize how much of a backseat she'd taken since Klaus's arrival. She simply wanted them to have their time together without her interference.

**"Well, yeah, I just figured you guys…"** Bonnie found that she didn't have an excuse. Her eyes met Klaus's. He was hard to read and she could tell he was keeping her out on purpose. **"Give me a minute to get ready,"** Bonnie muttered, knowing the three of them could hear her perfectly fine. Klaus was silent as he watched her retreating figure. After a moment, he turned to the twins and smiled down at them.

**"The last one to the car is a crummy human,"** he chuckled as the two of them took off at lightning speed.

-X-

It was weird to be out in public with her children and their father as a unit, but Bonnie found there was a natural rhythm they fell into. The twins laughed in unison as they danced ahead of her and Niklaus to the Jazz music playing all around. It was the French Quarter Festival and it seemed like everyone in the city was in attendance. Bonnie ate at her ice cream cone, racing against the Louisiana sun to finish it before it melted down her wrists. The occasional looks from Niklaus made her acutely aware that there was no innocent way to eat ice cream.

**"If you stare any harder, I'm going to charge admission,"** Bonnie threatened. Klaus didn't fight the slow smile that graced his features. Bonnie ignored the way her chest twisted. His smile, when genuine, could launch a thousand ships.

**"Name your price,"** Bonnie cut her eyes over to him and gave a threatening look. Klaus responded with a smile.

**"Shut up,"** she muttered. Klaus watched as Bonnie struggled with her ice cream cone, seemingly forgetting that he was standing next to her.

**"You named them after me," **he spoke after a moment of silence. Bonnie was in the midst of throwing away the remainder of her sweet treat when his words halted her movements. She focused on wiping her fingers with a wet wipe and for a moment, Klaus wondered if he needed to repeat himself.

**"I did,"** she paused, in deep thought. **"Well, technically, I only named Lina. Elijah named Nicky."** She studied his features and waited on bated breath for him to either rage or remain at ease. She visibly relaxed when he gently nodded his understanding. They slowed to a stop. Just ahead, the twins occupied themselves with a street performer. **"Nikolina Hope and Niklaus Aleksander,"** Bonnie informed. **"Though, he prefers when you pronounce it as Nicolas."**

There was an expression on Klaus's face that Bonnie didn't recognize. The two of them stared at one another intensely. Under normal circumstances, Bonnie would always shy away first but she found herself waiting expectantly. She wondered throughout the years what he would think of the names she chose for them.

Klaus searched her eyes for what, he didn't know exactly. The longer they held one another's gaze, the more his thoughts raced until one rang out loudly against the others. Confusion and realization struck him as he tried to figure out the enigma that was Bonnie Bennett.

**"You wanted me to find you." **It didn't make any sense to him and he hoped that Bonnie would clarify. Her eyes lowered from his and confirmed his suspicions. He closed the gap between them and stared down at the top of her head.

Bonnie closed her eyes. Her heart thudded quickly as his breath tickled the flyaways at the top of her head. From where she stood, she could see nothing save from the cotton fibers of the navy blue Henley he wore. His necklaces rose and fell each time his chest expanded and Bonnie suddenly felt jailed between him and the brick wall behind her.

**"Part of me hoped…" **Her voice cascaded into a whisper as she recalled the highlights of her lowest moments. As insane as it was, part of her hoped throughout the years that he found them because she didn't have the courage to go to him on her own volition. With a deep breath, she forced herself to meet his eyes once more. His face was made of stone but, the iciness didn't reach his eyes this time.

**"Why run in the first place, Love?" **Bonnie Bennett was a lot of things, a runner was never one of them. In the moment of 'fight or flight' Bonnie always chose to fight—it was her nature. That she ran so easily was something Niklaus could never quite grasp.

**"You didn't run because of them."** Klaus was hit with a realization. **"That wasn't the only reason." **He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He reached up to trace the outline of her lips with his thumb. The gentleness of his touch stirred something inside of her. **"You ran because you thought I'd break you too,"** he finally surmised. It's what made sense to him. If Bonnie truly thought their children were in harm's way around him, she would have never boarded the plane to come back to the states. She would have fought to the death to keep them away from him.

Tears pricked at her eyes. As if sensing she was about to slide out from under him, Klaus barricaded her, using his left arm to block her in. Their eyes met and Klaus saw the fear she fought so hard to keep at bay slip through. In more ways than one, she was afraid of him; afraid of what he was capable of, afraid that he held her heart in his hands and afraid that he'd crush it.

A throat cleared breaking the two of them from their trance. Their heads turned in unison to find an angry looking Aurora staring daggers into the both of them. Bonnie scoffed and rolled her eyes, using that moment to slide out from under Nik. She purposely bumped shoulders with Aurora, surprising the older vampire with the amount of strength that came with her tiny frame. Aurora growled and took a step towards Bonnie's retreating figure but was halted by the sound of Nik's voice.

**"I wouldn't try that," **he warned. **"Unless you're looking to get burned to a crisp," **he added matter of factly. Bonnie could easily bring him to his knees in spite of how strong he was. There was no doubt in his mind that Aurora would crumble under Bonnie's magic like a sheet of paper. Aurora bared her fangs and turned her attention to him.

**"You need to get rid of her," **Aurora barked. Klaus lifted a bow at her order, smirking at her tenacity. He was amused.

**"Or what?"** He goaded. There was a crack in her confidence as she glared at Niklaus, trying hard to read the look on his face. She couldn't.

**"Or I'll do it myself,"** Aurora threatened. His amused look was quickly replaced with a dark scowl. A growl shook his chest as he closed the space between them. A threat against his mate was a threat against him.

**"Try it and I'll rip you to fucking pieces." **Aurora nearly trembled as the black veins skittered across his cheekbones and his blue irises darkened with their famous golden hue. His wrath was never directed towards her until now. Strengthening her resolve, she stood tall and matched his glare. She was not to be intimidated easily. Seeing this as a blatant challenge, Klaus growled loudly and unsheathed his canines. Aurora backed away from him; the fear of being bitten overrode her arrogance. Klaus moved to close the space between them when a small hand closed around his wrist stopped him. Instantly, his face transformed to normal, save his eyes. He glanced down to find Bonnie staring up at him with concern in her pretty green eyes.

**"Not now, Klaus,"** Bonnie chastised lightly. She allowed her eyes to drift over to the twins who were watching the trio from across the street. Bonnie knew by the tilt of their head that they were listening in on their conversation and tried her best to keep her tone light. Klaus glared at Aurora a few moments before training his features back to default.

He turned slightly to regard Bonnie who still held onto his wrist. **"Give us a minute." **Though gentle, his tone brokered no arguments. Bonnie nodded. Her eyes involuntarily met Aurora's and if looks could kill, Bonnie would be sliced to ribbons.

Aurora didn't know what to make of Bonnie's presence, nor Klaus's treatment towards her. A pang of jealousy twisted in her chest as she noted the differences in Klaus's body language whenever Bonnie was near. She wanted to scalp the young vixen but knew that she was off-limits. Whatever hold she had on Niklaus needed to be severed.

Once Bonnie was out of sight, Klaus focused his attention on Aurora. **"I will call you later,"** he instructed. **"Go home."** Anger consumed Aurora.

**"Absolutely not, Nik! You expect me to stand back and watch from the sidelines while she worms her little way back into your heart and destroy you again?!"** Aurora was having none of it. An emotion that Aurora couldn't name flashed across his face but was gone as quickly as it came.

**"I appreciate your concern,"** he began. He smoothed the top of her head and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. **"But it isn't necessary." **Aurora watched silently as Klaus turned and began to walk away from her. The rejection she felt festered as he joined Bonnie and the twins who waited patiently. She gritted her teeth as the two of them walked side by side, seemingly the picture-perfect couple with their picture-perfect children.

**"This isn't over, bitch," **Aurora vowed under her breath. She wouldn't allow Bonnie to swoop in and take Niklaus away from her. Not when she'd just gotten him back.

Like hell she would.

-X-

**New Orleans**

Currently…

**_"When I wake you, if I wake you, Bonnie's body will be scattered across your coffin."_**

The words echoed inside of Elijah's psyche for God knows how long. It was a mantra that repeated inside of his head. As the werewolf venom consumed his sanity, Elijah dreamed of waking. In his dreams, he returned to Bonnie and the twins, fully restored to his former glory. However, his dreams morphed into nightmares as the venom continued to eat away at him. Each day, he opened his eyes, each day his coffin opened, and each day he sobbed as he stared at the grizzly remains of Bonnie laid at his feet. Distinct body parts that he'd come to know as Bonnie was scattered, just as his brother promised, across the coffin. Her severed head in his lap, her torn ligaments tucked between the coffin walls, her torso resting at his feet—it became too much.

Each day he suffered, each day he mourned her until he was numbed with defeat. The defeat festered and grew to hate and anger and each day he prayed to a God he never believed in for revenge. His nightmares turned into missions for revenge. He dreamed of tearing his brother limb from limb and in each dream, he destroyed himself in the process. But Elijah didn't care. Klaus had taken everything from him and he would pay for it. In his dreams, no one was safe. Like clockwork, Elijah picked off Klaus's allies and the two people he seemed to care about. Marcel first, then Aurora. Each nightmare, he stood over his brother and watched as he choked on the hearts of those he held dear. Those dreams satisfied him until the nightmares began to take hold once again.

For during his quest for revenge, he ended up before the twins. The sounds of their screams tore at Elijah's heart. He would never hurt them, he knew this, but the dreams plagued him and drove him to insanity and each night he had to witness in an out of body experience as he slaughtered his beautiful niece and nephew. Back at square one, Elijah was once again broken. He quieted his thoughts and surrendered to the darkness that threatened to take hold. He could no longer fight. To fight against the toxicity of his brother's venom meant to become the monster that had inflicted this evil upon him.

So, Elijah began to let go. He released the memories he shared with Bonnie, he released the memories he shared with the twins. He released the memories with his sister Rebekah and he released the memories of the lovers he'd lost throughout the years.

He released it all and succumbed to darkness.

* * *

**A/N:** I can't thank you all enough for the reviews and the comments you've left! I appreciate it greatly. For the question of why she doesn't use her kid's blood, I thought about doing that but I feel as though Bonnie would do all she could not to involve them, and uh... you'll see the route I choose to go in the next chapter. Hehe. Speaking of the next chapter, it was originally meant to be a part of this one but at the last minute, I decided to split it. That said, I may post it sooner rather than later.

As always, thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day and stay safe!


	10. Chapter 10

**New Orleans  
**Two Weeks Later

Rebekah hadn't heard from her brother in months and knew without a doubt that Niklaus had done something to him. She and Elijah were known to take their "Nik Sabbaticals" quite often. Whenever their brother became unbearable, they would jet before they ended up with daggers in their hearts. That she hadn't heard from Elijah in the past several months was alarming since she knew that Elijah was faithfully serving next to Nik's side as they ruled New Orleans' underworld. She had her reservations about returning. She and Marcel were at odds after he'd chosen, yet again, his own self-interests over her. Last she'd heard, he was overthrown, his kingdom had fallen, as she predicted and in addition to losing everything, he lost her as well.

Served him right for rejecting her yet again.

Differences aside, she had to see about her brother and make sure everything was okay. However, upon arriving at the Abattoir, she learned that nothing was okay. Everything was fucked. Bonnie Bennett was back. Niklaus was a father, _to TWINS! _And Elijah was missing in action.

There was simply too much to process.

Rebekah stared at the twins as they played in the courtyard. She couldn't deny the similarities between the four of them. They looked exactly like Nik and Bonnie but how was this _fucking_ possible?

**"Bonnie, how the bloody hell were you able to hide this?"** Rebekah wanted to know. Despite being a Bennett Witch, Niklaus had the uncanny ability to track people down. It's why Katherine remained mobile for 500 years; she was unable to stay in one spot for extended periods of time. Whenever Rebekah went on her sabbaticals, she too would have to move around. Yet, the little witch managed to provide a stable life for her niece and nephew. Rebekah's eyes flitted over to the twins once again. They seemed oblivious to what was happening around them.

**"Should you tell her, Little Witch, or should I?"** Klaus's sing-song voice made Rebekah shudder just a little. She knew her brother and knew he'd done something grizzly. Rebekah carefully regarded the witch, bracing herself for what she was about to hear. The look in Bonnie's eyes should have killed her brother on the spot.

**"Elijah helped us," **Bonnie muttered. **"He found me outside of Paris just before I gave birth." **The color left Rebekah's face as she glared at her brother. In a flash, she was in front of him.

**"What did you do to Elijah?!"** The panic Rebekah felt propelled her. Niklaus grinned and poked her nose.

**"The usual, Love. With just a little pop of color," **he answered with a tap to Rebekah's nose. He caught sight of Bonnie rolling her eyes and smiled to himself.

**"He bit him," **Bonnie translated since Klaus had no intention of being forthcoming. **"And put a dagger in his heart." **Instantly, Rebekah barred her fangs and growled. She turned away from Klaus and appeared before Bonnie quicker than either of them could react.

**"This is all your fault! _You_ dragged him into this!" **Rebekah wrapped her hands around Bonnie's throat and yanked her close, ready to sink her fangs into the witch. Before Klaus could process what he was doing, he sped up behind Rebekah and snapped her neck, watching as her blonde hair spun from the force. Her body crumpled at his feet and he visibly relaxed once the threat to his mate was eradicated. Bonnie coughed and held her throat. She didn't have time to react before Rebekah was on her. Her eyes stung with tears; the force of which Rebekah grabbed her nearly snapped Bonnie's neck and crushed her windpipe.

Bonnie's eyes met Klaus's and instinctively, she flinched when he reached out to her. He held his hands up, palms stretched to show that he meant no harm. At his second attempt, Bonnie relaxes against him, visibly shaken. He held her against his chest, coaching her to calm down before attempting to offer her his bloodied wrist. She craned her neck and tensed upon gazing into his amber-colored eyes. Memories of him forcefully feeding her his blood surfaced and her heart began to race with fear. Her reaction caused him to falter; that night wasn't his proudest. The fear he inflicted both satisfied the vampire and sickened the wolf. His heart was in constant conflict—nothing was ever black and white with her.

**"No gimmicks," **he promised with a soft tone.** "You're hurt,"** he goaded gently. Bonnie searched his eyes, looking for any signs of deception. What she found instead was concern and in response, her heart twisted with a familiar feeling. She stared down at his closing wound and took his wrist into her hand.

Klaus relished in the feel of her lips pressed against his skin. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of his blood leaving his body with each pull from her mouth. As she drank, Bonnie felt the feelings she's repressed for the past ten years surface and increasingly grew ravenous. She wanted to remain in this moment forever but knew that eventually, she would have to let go. Still, she drank her fill of him and Klaus did nothing to stop her.

Several minutes later, Bonnie pulled away from him. Her magic thrummed beneath the surface of her skin and her green eyes darkened with lust. She took several steps back and tried focusing on Rebekah's unconscious body in order to ground her. However, one look at Klaus made her want to continue what they started—a few moments ago or ten years earlier, she wasn't sure. She closed her eyes to block out the intensity of his stares but was assaulted with images of the night she appeared on his doorstep a decade ago.

The sight of Bonnie standing before him with his blood coating her tantalizing lips threatened to release the beast from within. He was ready to take her on every surface within the room but anticipated her next move. He inhaled deeply, taking in the aroma of her arousal. She was beginning to smell like him again.

His tawny eyes glowed and his stomach coiled with the need to claim her. Before he could talk himself out of it, he had one foot in front of the other until the distance between them was nonexistent. The moment he was near, she gripped both biceps, an act meant to keep him at bay but instead, pulled him closer to her until their lips met. A whimper left her lips as he kissed her fervently. That familiar drunkenness took root, urging her to throw caution to the wind and allowed Bonnie to be consumed by him.

Her legs hit the edge of the desk and Klaus wasted no time leaning into her until she was laid flat on it. His lips grazed her neck and Bonnie shuddered with each kiss he placed on it. The irony of them making out on the same desk the twins were conceived was not lost on her. She burrowed her fingers in his mess of curls, holding him close as he kissed the areas Rebekah's hand had been. Just as he moved to grip her thigh, Klaus's movements stilled. Bonnie also stilled and searched his face for answers. His ears twitched slightly and before she could complain, he was standing up straight, pulling her with him. Bonnie opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by Klaus's finger.

He glanced down at the floor and that's when Bonnie shamefully remembered that Rebekah was still down there, unconscious. He had a bad habit of making her forget her surroundings. In a flash, he sped out of the room with Bonnie following him at a more human pace. The twins were now out of sight and Bonnie paused to check on them as she passed their rooms. They were both now in Nicky's room, fighting over who would go next on the game console their father bought for them. Rather than break them apart, Bonnie allowed them to sort through their dilemma and softly closed the door.

Downstairs, Niklaus met Aurora at the courtyard's entrance. The look on her face was none too pleased as she demanded why he chose to ignore her for the past several hours. Aurora was convinced Bonnie was the reason and, well, she wasn't exactly wrong about that.

**"My sister's here,"** was the only explanation Klaus offered. In truth, he had no desire to quell Aurora's psychotic thoughts about him and Bonnie.

**"Yeah? Is that why _she's_ up there guarding you like a watchdog?" **Klaus turned in the direction Aurora was staring and found Bonnie standing on the steps behind them with her arms folded, indeed looking similar to a guard dog, Klaus smirked as a sense of pride swelled in his chest.

**"I assure you, it's not me she's guarding."** Though, he didn't quite believe his own words.

Bonnie descended the stairs, watching with keen interest as Klaus tried in vain to appease Aurora—who was convinced that he and Bonnie were up to something. Bonnie wondered how long he'd keep that psychotic bitch around just to spite her. Either way, it didn't matter; everyone knew the truth rather they accepted it or not. It was a tough reality but she and Klaus would ultimately find their way back to one another, no matter who got hurt in the process.

It wasn't until Rebekah joined the party that Aurora decided it was best to leave. Maybe it was because Rebekah showed up with a wooden chair leg and stabbed Klaus in the shoulder, threatening to do the same to Aurora if she didn't leave immediately.

Bonnie also left, leaving the Mikaelson siblings to sort out their grievances. From past experiences, she knew it would take a while, hours to be exact. After checking on the twins—who were trying to pretend they weren't eavesdropping—Bonnie spelled Nicky's room to keep the twins from witnessing their aunt kicking their father's ass.

Left with her thoughts, she pondered again of how she could possibly acquire Klaus's blood. She thought to acquire blood from the twins but thought against it. She didn't want to involve them in her schemes, however, it was looking like the only option until suddenly, a thought occurred. With Klaus currently distracted, she used this moment to her advantage and slipped inside of her room. Once inside, she pulled out two small bowls and a knife. She sliced into her hand and allowed her blood to pour into one of the bowls until it was nearly full. She quickly healed her wound and began to chant until the blood in the bowl began to stir and levitate.

**"Separata est sanguis…" **Slowly, her blood began to separate from Klaus's until they were both hovering over each bowl. Once the spell was complete, both bowls were half full. She placed Klaus's blood in a large vial and did the same with hers in a different vial. She began to clean up the evidence of her spell when she sensed his presence approaching. With a snap of her fingers, she glamoured the room and hid the vials of blood in her closet just as Klaus walked inside.

**"Are you okay?" **Though it wasn't much, Klaus could sense that Bonnie was bleeding. Paranoia overcame him and he immediately left to check on her. He entered the room fully and took her in, assessing her for any damages. Bonnie smiled a bit at his concern and wondered if he realized or cared that his 'heart' was showing.

**"I'm fine,"** she assured without an explanation. She assessed him as well, noting the dried bits of blood on his face and where Rebekah stabbed him. **"Is Rebekah still alive?" **

**"Unfortunately," **he grumbled, though a small smile played on his lips. Bonnie also smiled, knowing that as much as they despised one another, the Mikaelson siblings couldn't live without each other. Her smile was doused by thoughts of Elijah.

**"It seems as though a woman's intuition remains with her, even in death." **She wasn't sure if his words were meant for Rebekah or Aurora. She assumed both.

**"I'm sure she's just worried about him, that's all." **It was Klaus's turn to wonder whom she meant; Rebekah or herself. There was a crack in his armor when Bonnie looked up at him with worry in her eyes; not for him, but for his brother. Part of him wanted to appease her and at least cure Elijah of his venomous bite, the other half wanted to carve his treacherous brother from her heart.

The two of them stared at each other for what felt like forever before Bonnie looked away. **"If you would just…" **

**"No,"** he growled, knowing what she was getting at.

**"We have no idea what your bite is doing to him," **she urged. A growl shook his chest as he advanced on her. Bonnie backed away slowly.

**"We'll find out, one day."** The desire he had to appease her was snuffed out just as quickly as it came.

**"The twins are asking about him," **she tried once again. Klaus growled angrily. His fangs unsheathed along with his claws. He picked Bonnie up by her shoulders until they were eye level. She winced as his nails dug into her sleeves.

**"_I'm_ their father!" **Bonnie shut her eyes as he yelled in her face. Visibly rattled, Bonnie trembled as she spoke.

**"I know that! But they love him too! There's room for both of you in our hearts." **Klaus set her back onto her feet before turning away from her. So many emotions plagued him at once. His insecurities could not accept her betrayal. Feelings of inferiority urged him to expunge his brother from their lives and fear kept him from doing the right thing. He couldn't bear the thought of his children preferring their uncle over him or even Bonnie for that matter. Elijah had spent the last ten years forming bonds that Niklaus never got to experience.

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

**"Love,"** Klaus closed his eyes.** "We both know I require more than a tiny space in a coat closet."**

**"Why are you looking at it that way!? Elijah will never take your place, Nik. We've never tried to replace you—" **

**"It definitely seems that way," **he cut in angrily. The tension that always laid beneath the surface flared. His exasperated expression was now replaced with a look of anger. It never took much to set him off. **"While you all were on the other side of the fucking ocean playing house, I was here, losing my fucking mind looking for you!" **Bonnie's chest twisted with that familiar ache.

**"I didn't know, Nik! I didn't know we were mated! I was convinced that what I felt was one-sided. Why didn't you tell me?! Why would you keep that shit from me?!" **Their chests heaved as they glared at one another. At some point during their screaming match, they gravitated towards one another until they were toe-to-toe. The power struggle between them was cataclysmic.

**"You didn't stick around long enough for me to fucking say anything,"** he bit back. Perhaps what Bonnie hated most was how true his words rang. **"I barely had enough time to process what the fuck I was feeling before I was left alone to deal with…" **Klaus's anger and pride wouldn't allow him to finish. There were so many emotions running through him, he could barely take it. The anguish he felt made him want to tear his hair out.

A growl tore through his chest and his eyes flashed amber. True to his nature, whenever he was hurt, Klaus lashed out. Bonnie's magic flared to defend herself. Klaus sensed it along with a spike of fear that lingered in her pheromones. He closed his eyes and dug deep within himself to calm down. He would not allow her to drive him over the edge. He could not prove her right.

The look in his eyes when he opened them left Bonnie broken. **"Klaus,"** she choked out. **"I can't apologize enough. I don't know what else to do." **There was a hint of desperation in her voice—a longing that called to him and Klaus fought against his wolf to answer it.

She reached out to grab his hand but Klaus pulled away from her. A sob rattled her chest as she watched him walk away from her. Her feet began to move on its own until she was following after him. **"How can I fix this?"** It was a simple question that could easily go undetected by human ears but Klaus heard her perfectly. He stopped his retreat and thought about what she was asking him. He didn't have an answer. No solution felt good enough.

**"You can't."**

His answer left her standing alone in the hallway with regret weighing heavily on her shoulders.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys! Welcome back to my collection of words lol. So, I know it seems like Klaus and Bonnie regressed back to hating one another, but this is a part of their healing. They will have up and downs and a good bit of angst before they get it all out. Consider this progress, though. Klaus didn't lash out… this time, lol. Also, Bonnie is softer and more apologetic than she has been in the past so, they're getting there. They just need to feel the feels. With the bond and the heightened emotions, they're a hot mess and all over the place right now lol.

Anyway, the response to this story has been insane and I can't thank you enough. I'm glad you all like it as much as I enjoy writing it. I take great pleasure reading your comments and they give me the strength to keep going. One thing I have to learn while writing is to trust my gut and the flow of the story and not let my head get in the way lol. I'm so glad that for the most part, Elijah has been received well. I was nervous about how he'd be accepted and am pleased that it seems as though I did my part in showcasing the dynamics of his and Bonnie's situation. Translating thoughts to paper is rough, man!

Thanks again and stay safe out there!


	11. Chapter 11

**New Orleans  
**One Month Later

Elijah's eyes fluttered open abruptly as if he was startled from a deep sleep. He immediately sat up and surveyed his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his coffin. He had become accustomed to waking up inside of that dreaded pine box. He also noticed that there were no scattered remains—as Niklaus had promised—and a quick check of his neck revealed that there was no bite mark either.

_'I'm dreaming,' _was his initial assessment. That was the only way Klaus would fail to keep his promise. A sniffle garnered his attention and he was faced with none other than Bonnie Bennett.

_'I'm dead,'_ was his second thought. There was no way the two of them survived Niklaus; no way that Bonnie Bennett was alive and well and staring at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.

**"Elijah." **Relief, hope, and anticipation shrouded her tone. Elijah listened as her heart skipped several beats. Everything seemed real but he couldn't allow himself to believe it. As she moved closer, Elijah reached out for her. His hands shook as he held her face. His thumbs roamed over her lips, her cheekbones, over her eyes. He could hardly believe what he was seeing or feeling. In order to solidify the fact that this was real, he pulled her in suddenly for a chaste kiss. Their lips crashed into one another and Bonnie sobbed as he kissed her fervently. He was alive, he was awake, and he was going to be okay.

**"How long? The twins? Where is Niklaus?"** His questions, though choppy, flowed from his lips as they came to mind. Bonnie sighed happily and giggled to herself as she tried to contain her joy long enough to answer him.

**"I can't say for sure. You left us about eight months ago. The twins are okay."** Bonnie paused. **"They're out with Nik now." **Bonnie watched as fear washed over his features. His eyes darted around quickly and for the first time since he opened his eyes, he realized where he was.

**"He brought you all here? To New Orleans?"** There were still so many questions he wanted to ask. **"When will he be back?"**

**"Not for a while," **she explained. Their eyes searched one another's briefly. Elijah sighed, his joy short-lived.

**"Bonnie, I don't know what you had to do to save me—I can't thank you enough—but my brother won't hesitate to kill me permanently if he returns and find that you've awakened me." **Though happy to be healed and delivered from entombment, Elijah couldn't relish in satisfaction for long. The looming threat his brother posed was crippling. For he had watched and helped his brother hunt down enemies in the past, therefore, Elijah knew first hand just how brutal Niklaus could become.

**"You let me deal with him," **Bonnie doubled down. Elijah wasn't having it.

**"For your sake, Bonnie, I cannot be awake when he returns."** Elijah was more concerned for Bonnie than himself. He did not wish for her to be cut down. If he had to spend the next thousand years in a coffin, so be it.

**"He can't kill me, Elijah," **she assured without any elaboration. They could get to the logistics later, she just needed to get him as far away from this house as possible. **"Elijah," **the tone in which she said his name sobered him of his thoughts and forced him to look at her. **"Get your things and follow me, please."**

He didn't have to be told twice.

-X-

The two of them drove for an hour before they reached their destination. Bonnie checked them into a quaint bed and breakfast in a quiet area in Slidell, Louisiana. The drive was silent as Elijah contemplated consciousness after being in a slumber for so long. This duration was the shortest. He expected centuries to have gone by and while it wasn't too far from a year, he was grateful that not that much time had passed. Eight months was a blink of an eye to him.

Once inside, Bonnie spelled the room so that no one could eavesdrop or barge in unannounced. She turned to face him and took in his features for a moment, thankful that he was alive and well, physically. It had been so long since she's seen him mobile. Staring at his corpse day after day was beginning to take its toll on her. With a deep breath, she began to debrief him.

**"The twins and I have been in New Orleans for a little over a month now. When you left Cassis, you let me know that you made it back safe. After that, You went radio silent." **She paused, allowing him time to offer information that would help fill in the blanks.

**"Niklaus attacked a week after I returned to New Orleans,"** Elijah informed, allowing her to piece together a timeline in her mind. A pained look flashed across her face as she realized just how long Elijah had been immobilized. She exhaled slowly as she finished filling him in on what happened since they last spoke.

**"I tried contacting you, but when I didn't receive a reply, I thought that maybe you were playing it safe, so I backed off. After two months without a word, I sent Tyler away. I knew something was wrong."** In hindsight, she probably should have fled, but maybe a part of her welcomed what was to come. Maybe a part of her was tired of running. **"I waited to hear from either you or Klaus; then, seven months after you left, he showed up on my doorstep," **Bonnie chuckled dryly and shook her head at the memory. It felt like ages ago when really just over a month had passed. **"I was out getting groceries and when I came back… I just knew. I knew he was there."**

Though she said the twins were okay, Elijah's heart still dropped at the thought of things going horribly wrong during their reunion. **"Jesus, Bonnie."** His declaration said it all.

**"I know."** She closed her eyes. **"It was the first and only time I've ever let my guard down in ten years." **Bonnie still hated herself for that moment. If Klaus was the person she met in her teens, her life would be completely different right now. **"I could have gotten them killed."** Her voice broke at the thought. She knew that Klaus would never harm the twins but sinister memories of the Klaus from long ago still lingered—against her best wishes.

**"Shh, shh," **Elijah quelled. He pulled her into his arms and naturally, she fell against him. His embrace felt natural to her and until that moment, she didn't realize how much she missed it. **"My brother may be a lot of things but he would never harm a child. Certainly not his own,"** he assured.

**"I know, but he is impulsive. What if he didn't realize they were his and he snapped." **Bonnie was always plagued by the what-ifs. She didn't want to always think the worse of Klaus, but for years it was all she knew. Try as she might, her mind wouldn't allow her to let that version of him go.

**"You can't think that way. Just be fortunate that wasn't the case." **Elijah held Bonnie as she sobbed into his shoulder.

**"I'm so glad I found you,"** she sighed once she was calm enough to form a rational thought. **"I don't know what Nik will do to me once he finds out what I've done," **Bonnie paused as she thought about Klaus's reaction. When the thoughts became too insidious, she closed her eyes and shook them away. **"I feel like every move I make is destined to drive a wedge between us. I don't know how to fix any of this, Elijah."** Bonnie didn't intend to fall apart in front of him; it naturally happened. For years, he has been her strength, her shoulder to cry on. Seeing him made her realize that she had no one to talk to about this. Since Klaus's return, she's been isolated and kept most of her feelings bottled.

Elijah, for once, was at a loss. There was nothing he could say to calm Bonnie. He opened his mouth several times to speak but nothing that came to mind sufficed. The two sat in silence, holding one another while Elijah contemplated his thoughts. Inhaling deeply, he attempted another effort to calm her with his words but was interrupted by her cellphone vibrating against the two of them. Bonnie took a breath and braced herself for what was to come. She didn't spare the screen a glance as she reached into her pocket and answered.

**"Hello?" **She tried to train her voice to the best of her abilities. There was a long silence that followed that told her everything she needed to know about who was on the other line. She closed her eyes and tried in vain to stifle the cries that threatened to escape.

**"Do not make me look for you."** His velvet voice dripped in ice. Bonnie placed a shaky hand on her chest in efforts to calm her beating heart. The anger and malice in his voice were tangible. As he spoke, he emphasized each syllable in each word articulately. His anger was unbridled and she knew that had she been anywhere close to him, his impulses would've won and she would be no more. **"Get back here, _now_!"** Bonnie jumped and pulled away from the phone just in time to see that the call had ended. She dropped her phone on the bed and placed her head in her hands. Elijah watched helplessly as Bonnie sobbed. He reached out to comfort her, pausing when she jumped slightly. She began to frantically search through her bag, producing several blood bags in the process. Elijah held the bags she placed in his lap, feeling his gums ache with the need to feed.

**"You shouldn't be too hungry, but here,"** Bonnie sniffled as she tried to focus on anything other than Klaus's ire. **"I've been slow feeding you for a month since I gave you the cure. I couldn't chance to wake you up after months of you going insane so I tried healing you with my blood first."** To her ears, she sounded as if she was rambling and not making a bit of sense. **"I collected these blood bags so that you wouldn't wake up and go on a killing spree."** She tried to think of everything, but Klaus was always the wild card. **"I don't think he's figured out that I freed you yet," **she paused. **"Right now, he probably thinks I'm just running away again." **Her fingers ran through her hair and Elijah found himself taking in each detail about her. She looked the same, except skinnier. The stress of being around his brother was taking its toll.

**"Bonnie." **Elijah wasn't sure what to say. Bonnie held her hand up to prevent him from continuing.

**"I'm going to go back before he loses his shit,"** she sighed. Her body shook with nerves and Elijah wanted nothing more than to comfort her. **"The room is good for a week but I suggest you leave before then. There's a phone in this bag with my number programmed in it. Text before you call. Go somewhere far but don't tell me where. There's enough cash to keep you afloat for a while."**

**"I'm not running, Bonnie," **Elijah interjected once he realized what her plan was. Bonnie frowned with confusion written all over her face.

**"Elijah, he will kill you,"** she stressed. The fear in her voice was almost tangible.

**"He hasn't yet,"** Elijah countered. Bonnie didn't appreciate his joke. **"I won't let you face him by yourself, not again."** Bonnie wanted to scream at his stubbornness.

**"Elijah, please don't put me in this situation. I'm not worth it. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." **Elijah grew impatient.

**"I've watched you be the martyr for years without ever asking for anything in return. Allow me to return the favor to you."** Elijah reached out and cupped her cheek. **"You are worth a thousand deaths. If I die on your behalf, it would be a death well served." **The weight of his words left Bonnie bereft. They were both soothing and terrifying to think that someone of his caliber was willing to sacrifice their thousand-year existence just for her. The two of them stared at one another. The tears that gathered at the brims of her eyes made their way down her cheeks in a free-fall.

**"You would have me go through all of this trouble to save you just to walk yourself right into the slaughter?" **Bonnie had no fight left in her which was dangerous considering that she would have to face death himself within the next hour.

Elijah took a deep breath and without hesitation responded with a simple, **"Yes."**

For her, he would do whatever it took.

-X-

Klaus paced back and forth as he waited impatiently for the mother of his children to return. Upon noticing she was gone, the first thing he did was check where he buried his brother. Everything seemed intact but if he knew his little witch, she was up to something. The past month seemed perfect, too perfect if you asked him. He knew Bonnie. She was always up to something. She could be just as calculating as he sometimes. Who else could pull a disappearing act on him for ten years? Even with Katherine, he always knew where she was. Running was just a part of her penance. With Bonnie, it was different. She completely vanished without a trace. When he wasn't pissed, he could allow himself to admire her brilliance.

Nothing was as it seemed with her.

That thought brought him back to the present, standing in the spot in front of where he entombed Elijah. His instincts kept leading him back to the spot and on impulse, he punched through the brick wall just to confirm his suspicions.

As he suspected, nothing. Elijah was gone. With both hands bracing the wall, Klaus tried with all of his might to contain his rage. In a flash, he was at Rebekah's bedroom door. When she opened it, the look on her brother's face made her gasp.

**"Whatever's got your panties in a wad, I just want you to know that I've been a model citizen since I've arrived."** Rebekah knew her brother. No one but Bonnie Bennett could set him on edge like this. **"What did she do this time?"** The blonde suddenly feared for Bonnie's life. Mated or not, there were only so many times you could cross Klaus and come away unharmed. Klaus didn't speak. Instead, he chuckled humorlessly. The irony of one, fun-sized witch constantly getting the best of him, drove him insane. Taking a deep breath, Klaus smiled at his sister and clapped his hands together. The act made Rebekah flinch, foolishly.

**"Do me a favor dear sister and take the twins… somewhere far." **Rebekah opened her mouth to protest but one look from Klaus made her think against it. She and the twins bonded quite nicely since she arrived and though she missed Elijah every day, she began to enjoy the synchronicity their little family developed over the past few weeks. Sadly, that may be coming to an end soon and she found herself saying a quick prayer on Bonnie's behalf. She was going to need it.

-X-

By the time Bonnie arrived, Rebekah and the twins were long gone and Klaus sat in the middle of the courtyard. The silence of the room was deafening as he used his advance hearing to listen to the sounds of the car engine dying and the door opening and closing. Her shoes crunched against the gravel as she made her way to the entrance. He watched as Bonnie entered the courtyard, making her way towards him timidly. She looked small and fragile but he knew better. She was just as deadly as he. He fought against the urge to get in her face and scream at her. It's what she expected, no doubt. Instead, he sat casually, drinking cognac while smoking his cigarette—a bad habit he picked up since she left.

**"Where is he?" **His question startled Bonnie and she tried to feign innocence. **"Enough with the bullshit, Sheila; where is he?" **He didn't give her a chance to lie. Bonnie kept her eyes downcast, randomly wondering when he learned of her middle name. Just when Klaus thought he'd never receive an answer, she spoke.

**"I made him wait outside."** Klaus chuckled and smashed the end of his cigarette between the tips of his fingers. He neatly tucked the cigarette butt in the full ashtray beside him and set his glass down just as neatly. Bonnie couldn't read him but she could tell he was pissed.

**"And like a good lapdog, he listened. Lovely,"** he stated sarcastically.

**"I thought dog jokes were beneath you,"** Bonnie challenged. The words were out before she could stop them. For a moment, Klaus wished he had turned her so that he could snap her neck repeatedly until he was satisfied.

**"Love,"** he shook his head in disbelief. **"I advise you to shut your fucking mouth."** He was barely holding it together. Bonnie's green eyes glared at him and though she challenged him silently, she thought against muttering another word. Even she knew when to yield—somewhat.

Klaus stood to his feet and slowly closed the distance between them. He could hear her heart racing in her chest—at least she had the good sense to be terrified. As he neared her, Bonnie could smell the alcohol and nicotine on his breath. She trained her eyes to the floor, anticipating his next move. She expected him to meet her at the door already in a fit of rage but instead, she got this. Unpredictable Klaus was the worst Klaus.

**"Tell your boyfriend he can come out now. I'll play nice, I swear." **Bonnie didn't trust him but what choice did she have?

**"Stop it, Klaus. He's not my boyfriend," **she countered.

**"He's been your boyfriend for the past ten years, Bonnie—him and that Lockwood mutt." **The bitterness in his tone let her know that nothing she said would ever convince him otherwise.

**"Could you please—"**

**"What? Could I please, _what_?"** By now, Klaus was in her face, daring her to retaliate. Bonnie took a step back only for him to close the space yet again. The close proximity unnerved her and she waited nervously for the other shoe to drop. When she tried to move again, Klaus gripped the back of her neck and pulled her closer. **"Is this what you want?"** His growls made her tremble with fear. **"Do you _want_ me to snap and fucking kill you?" **The more he tried to contain his anger, the more it slipped from his grasp. **"DO YOU?" **Mustering the last bit of courage she had, Bonnie pulled away from his grasp, smacking his hands away from her.

**"Stop it, Klaus!" **Anger shook her entire body and her heart raced with adrenaline. **"I get it, okay. Elijah has been in our lives for the past ten years and you feel threatened by that. I'm sorry." **Apologies, no matter how many, seemed fruitless. **"Your anger is justified but right now you are blinded by rage and I don't want you to miss out on any more of our lives because of it." **Klaus tried to drown her out and focus on his anger. Having his feelings acknowledge made him feel justified but it wasn't enough. He was animalistic and that required bloodshed.

**"Bonnie." **Her name sounded like a groan against his lips. Bonnie stared up at him with desperation and anticipation.

**"Please, Nik. I'm tired of fighting." **The weariness and desperation in her voice that made him want to give in. He was tired of fighting with her too, but fighting was all he knew.

Bonnie took his face in her hands and directed his gaze towards hers. **"I'm not asking you to accept what I did to you." **Tears slipped from her eyes and instinctively, he reached up and caught them with his thumbs. He cursed himself silently for the act. **"All I'm asking is that you not let it keep you from being happy moving forward."** As she spoke, she held his face, hoping that he was listening to her and not focusing on doing something drastic. **"I'm sorry, okay? I'll say it a thousand times if I have to. I regret running away from you. I regret cutting you out of their lives—" **She took a deep breath before continuing. **"Out of my life."** She clarified. **"I didn't know you then. Not this version of you; not the version your family sees that keeps them coming back to you. I only knew the version of you that came to my town and killed and terrorized the people I cared about."**

"**I'm sorry I didn't give the other part of you a chance. The part of you that slipped that ring on my finger. The part of you that doted on me for three months. The part of you that despite your darkest urges, can't seem to kill me no matter how much you want to." **Bonnie sighed. Though her vision was blurry, she held his gaze. **"I don't have anything to say for myself except that I'm sorry. I made a bed I couldn't bring myself to sleep in and because of that, I damaged us all. I was selfish every step of the way and I'm so sorry, Nik," **she choked out. **"Don't let me be the reason you damage your relationship with Elijah. You two have had each other long before I came and you will have each other long after I'm gone. Don't ruin that because of me."**

Klaus stared into Bonnie's eyes for what felt like forever. Her breathing hitched when he moved to rub more tears away from her eyes. Her words managed to calm him some and the rage he felt moments ago was doused. It was just words, but they were what he needed to hear. For once, she acknowledged just how fucked up what she had done was. It was the nonchalant attitude she held when he first confronted her that pissed him off most and made him want to snap her neck into pieces.

Bonnie waited on bated breath for Niklaus to respond. His silence ate away at her until she could no longer stand it. **"Say something,"** she pleaded. It was hard to be vulnerable with him. Her words were never good enough, it seemed.

Klaus struggled to find the right words but nothing sufficed. Instead, he placed a single kiss on her forehead and pulled her close to his chest. In truth, he was just as tired as she. The rage he felt was exhausting and was beginning to take a toll on him. A thousand years of pent up animosity against his parents paled in comparison to the hurt and betrayal he felt from her.

The absurdity of it all was that she had only been in his life for a couple of months.

Three short months was all it took to turn his life completely upside down for the next decade. It was almost laughable and in fact, Klaus found himself chuckling because of it. **"You make me crazy,"** he murmured into her hair as he held her in his arms. He thought about all the ways he could crush her tiny frame but ultimately knew that to inflict any pain on her, he'd not only hurt the twins but himself as well. Instead, he settled for squeezing her as tight as she could stand it before letting her go.

Bonnie whimpered as he crushed her with his python grip, sighing with relief when he released her just as it became unbearable. She gasped, not realizing that she had been holding her breath the entire time and glanced up at him with wide eyes, not sure what to make of him.

**"Please don't kill, Elijah,"** she pleaded once more. The look Klaus gave her was inscrutable but rather than protest, he simply nodded.

**"I won't,"** he promised.

**"Seriously, Niklaus,"** she added. Klaus loved loopholes and exploited them any chance he got.

**"You have my word," **he reiterated. Bonnie visibly relaxed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Klaus watched silently as she texted who he assumed was Elijah and though he promised to behave, he couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt towards the closeness of their relationship. Bonnie was his and it was about fucking time his brother acknowledged it.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for waiting so patiently while I got my life in order. I'd love to hear you all's thoughts on this chapter since I stressed over it enough. What do you all think of Bonnie, Klaus, and Elijah's relationship? Do you think Klaus gave in too easily? Let me know your thoughts!

As always, thanks for reading. I don't always know what the hell I'm doing or why I'm doing it so your continued support is much appreciated, haha. If you're reading my other story... please pray for me and don't give up on me lol. Stay safe, sane, and sanitized!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Whew! I really love the charged reactions you all have towards Bonnie and would like to take the time to validate those feelings. I wrote this with the full intention of Bonnie not being the innocent flower we all know, love, and protect fiercely. That said, Klaus isn't a snowflake either but in this story, his feelings are very justified, haha. I've stated before that Bonnie has been living a 'hot girl summer' which is nice in theory until you're faced with the consequences. These two are not over and neither is their story. I'm trying to remain as true to the characters as possible by not giving in to what I want personally so that I can navigate their emotions authentically as possible. That said, we will experience stages of Klonnie's grief, if you will. In the last chapter, we got a look at an emotionally taxed Klaus and an apologetic Bonnie. In the military, they tear you down before they build you back up. Consider all of this the 'tearing-down' stage. If it helps any, as you read, keep in mind that by Bonnie being Bonnie, she attracts people to her light, and thus we have these, uh, entanglements (I had to), and as a result, everyone is being burned… by their desires. :)

And now, without further ado, enjoy the next chapter…

* * *

_Chapter Twelve  
_**French Quarter  
**Present Day

Bonnie and Niklaus stood side by side in the middle of the courtyard as they waited for Elijah to enter. Bonnie was nauseous with nerves and struggled to keep a lid on her sanity. The moment she felt Klaus tense beside her, she knew Elijah wasn't far behind. When Elijah appeared, Klaus took a possessive step in front of her, blocking them from any form of eye contact. Rather than side-stepping him, Bonnie remained behind him, submissively as not to press any more of his buttons.

**"Elijah,"** Klaus greeted tersely. Ever regal, Elijah removed his hands from his pocket and adjusted the buttons on his suit jacket.

**"Niklaus."**

**"Obviously, you came to die for your girlfriend,"** Klaus provoked. **"Why else would you be here?"**

**"Klaus—" **Bonnie's warning was not acknowledged. Despite his promise to her, he wanted to pick a fight. He needed to release all of his anger and Elijah was the only person in the room that could survive his wrath—physically.

**"I am here to settle the score once and for all, Brother. I am too old to run from you for the rest of my life. If I perish by your hand, you will have to live with that, not me." **His words angered Klaus, mostly because of how true they were. Two of the people he loved more than anything were the ones that hurt him the most. Klaus had no clue what to do about that. The uncertainty in Klaus's eyes gave Elijah the courage to take a step forward. **"If you need to dagger me, so be it, I only ask that you allow me to say goodbye to my niece and nephew properly and that you don't bite me this time."**

**"Elijah, no." **Bonnie moved from behind Klaus only to be halted by his extended arm blocking her path.

**"It's okay, Bonnie,"** Elijah comforted. Klaus squinted, wondering just when she went from 'Miss Bennett' to 'Bonnie'. The thought made him so angry he could spit. **"If this is what it takes to keep you safe, then allow me this courtesy."**

**"This isn't what it takes, Elijah. Klaus promised not to hurt you," **she pleaded, looking to Klaus for confirmation. Without sparing her a glance, Klaus corrected her.

**"I didn't say I wouldn't hurt him, Love. I said I wouldn't ****_kill _****him." **A startled gasp left Bonnie's lips just as Klaus charged at Elijah. His blue eyes flashed amber as dark veins appeared under his eyes. In a flash, Elijah pinned Klaus to the wall while somehow managing to remove his blazer. Bonnie watched in horror as the two men began to savagely beat on one another. For a moment she was frozen in fear while her mind fought to process what was happening. She glanced around the estate, realizing instantly that there were no signs of Rebekah or the twins. She felt relieved and turmoiled once she realized that she would have to get in between two original vampires and break up a fight she wanted no parts of.

Sighing, Bonnie focused on the two men as they flashed from one end of the courtyard to the next. Their growls and grunts were barely audible over the crash of different furniture pieces. She placed her fingers on each side of her temples and concentrated hard enough to cause a slight headache to form. Once the noise quieted, she opened her eyes to find both men on either side of her, pinned to the walls on opposite sides of the courtyard. Her magic struggled beneath the weight of both vampires fighting against her hold, Klaus more so than Elijah.

**"Guys,"** Bonnie gritted out. Sweat beaded across her hairline as her breath hitched. **"There are better ways to settle this." **A quick glance in both directions revealed that neither men had her to think about. They were both focused on tearing each other limb from limb. Bonnie felt the exhaustion of holding both men at bay begin to take its toll and for a moment, she loosened her hold on them. Instantly, she felt her magic thrum beneath the surface as it quickly tried to regenerate the spent energy.

She had no time for that, however. For as soon as she let go, both men began rushing towards where she stood in the center. Instantly, Bonnie's hand went back up and both men were stopped by a solid hand on their chest. With the added assistance of magic, it felt as though they each had run into a brick wall. Without sparing her a glance, Klaus growled and barred his fangs at his brother.

**"Step back, Bonnie," **Klaus ordered. But Bonnie didn't budge. She glanced up at both men as they glared at one another, seething with rage. Unsure of how long she would be able to keep them from tearing one another apart, Bonnie stepped out of the way and released her hold on them. Simultaneously, they lunged at one another. She focused on a spell and with a wave of her hand, they were instantly struck blind. She watched as a wave of confusion descended upon them and used that moment to grab Klaus by the shirt, dragging him away from Elijah with the assistance of magic.

**"Unhand me, Witch,"** Klaus seethed as he grabbed a hold of her. It was the only sure and tangible thing he could hold onto in the darkness.

**"No,"** Bonnie growled stubbornly as she fought against him. Each time Elijah got close to them, she moved Klaus away. **"I won't let you destroy each other!"** Ignoring her, Klaus pushed her out of the way and focused on his inner wolf. Within seconds, his claws elongated and his fangs extended from his gums. His body bristled as fur began to sprout from his skin in different sections. His bones began shifting at neck-breaking speeds and before Bonnie could react, a large white wolf was standing before her, snarling in her direction. Bonnie took a step backward as the wolf advanced towards her. He didn't need sight to sniff her out.

**"Klaus…"** His name was barely off her lips when he pounced on her in one bounding leap. Instantly, she was pinned beneath his massive form as he growled in her face, barking and snapping at her. Though she was under no direct threat, to say she was terrified was an understatement. She whimpered as she immediately released both he and Elijah from the spell she struck them with. Still pinned beneath him, Bonnie shifted her gaze away from his, which Klaus received as a form of submission. He continued to pin her under his gaze for several more seconds before releasing her.

Before leaving, Klaus sunk his fangs into her thigh and locked his jaw, eliciting a blood-curdling scream from Bonnie. She barely had time to process what had happened, for, in the next moment, Klaus had vanished. She glanced around quickly and realized, so had Elijah. Bonnie ignored the increasing panic in her chest as she unbuttoned her pants and slowly slid out of the garment. She winced in pain as she examined the bite mark. There, on her outer and inner thigh, were identical teeth marks that thrummed with energy. The throbbing pain from the initial bite was present but slowly fading as an indescribable energy began taking root around it. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she could feel that this bite was different from any other time he had bitten her.

As she gently rubbed her fingers over her inner thigh, she realized there was no blood coming from the wound which only confirmed her suspicions.

**"He marked me,"** she muttered aloud when it dawned on her. Suddenly, Bonnie was overcome with emotions. Her initial thought was to run after Klaus to ensure he did nothing he would later regret, but that thought had taken a back seat. Instead, she succumbed to ten years of grief and collapsed onto the floor in a bubbling mess.

-X-

Despite her lifelong desire to have them, Rebekah didn't know the first thing about children. Babies were easy—you fed them, cuddled them, and kept them dry. She had no clue what to do with pre-teens, teeming with energy. Niklaus One and Two were a handful, she quickly realized. In just under two hours, she had fed them Lemon Ice, Beignets, Gumbo, Po-Boys, Pralines, Bread Pudding, and Doberge Cake. As she watched them devour everything, she realized that they were every bit of the 'hungry little wolves' her brother described them as and wondered how Bonnie kept them satiated.

**"Aunt Bex, we should get something for dinner!"** Rebekah stopped in her tracks as she looked at her niece in disbelief. At her look, Nicky and Lina giggled. **"What?"** She innocently asked.

**"Bloody hell, Lina! I thought all of that ****_was_**** dinner!"** The twins giggled again and shook their heads. Rebekah laughed at the absurdity of it all and scoffed. **"Be fortunate you lot have your father's metabolism; that's all I'll say. Rather than buying an entire grocery store, let's leave the cooking to the chef your father hired." **Rebekah thought her brother had exaggerated the twin's appetite when he hired a full-time chef. She also thought, in true Mikaelson fashion, that he was being over-the-top in spoiling them, but she was beginning to see the reason behind his actions. Keeping the two of them fed was a full-time job.

Bonnie had mentioned in passing that their appetite was increased by their bloodlust and Rebekah briefly wondered if the twins had ever fed before. Based on Bonnie's nature, she could surmise that they hadn't. Drinking blood from a mug was fine but nothing satisfied that itch like pulling it straight from the source. A thought occurred to Rebekah as she glanced at the twins pensively.

**"Have you guys fed before?" **There was no need for her to elaborate, for the twins instantly knew what she meant. The two of them glanced at one another wearily before Lina spoke up.

**"Mom says we should wait until we're older,"** she said quietly, confirming Rebekah's suspicions. **"She wants to be sure that we can control ourselves and says that we should wait until after puberty."** Rebekah weighed her niece's words as she glanced back and forth between the two.

**"I can respect that,"** Rebekah admitted. She was in no way willing to cross Bonnie or her brother by overstepping her boundaries, however, she wanted a way to bond with her niece and nephew. **"I'll tell you what," **she said, leaning close to their level.** "When that time comes, I'll be your mentor, how's that?"** When the twins nodded eagerly, Rebekah smiled. **"I can't teach you how to be a hybrid but I can teach you how to be a proper vampire," **she stated confidently. She rubbed the tops of their heads and smiled when they playfully swatted her hand away.

Rebekah glanced at her phone to see if there was any word from their father and grew increasingly worried when she noticed no missed calls or messages from him or Bonnie. She had no clue when to return or if she should. As she led them towards a food truck, she stood in line and dialed Nik's number. She received no answer. She then dialed Bonnie but received no answer from her either. Sighing, Rebekah fiddled with her phone as different scenarios played in her head. When they returned home, there was no telling what they'd be walking into, the most realistic scenario she could dream of was nothing short of a crime scene where Bonnie was the slaughtered victim of her enraged brother.

If Rebekah was being honest, she both hated and admired Bonnie. No one, as far as she could tell, had bested her brother in the capacity that Bonnie Bennett managed. It was refreshing to see her brother be brought to heel after years of inflicting damage on those around him. It was amusing sometimes to watch the small witch handle her brother in ways he had never been 'handled' before. It was selfish of her to think this way but secretly, she enjoyed it. That said, she hated that Bonnie, just like Katherine, had managed to drive a wedge between her brothers. She resented Katherine for stringing Elijah and Klaus along, much like Bonnie was doing however, she could admit that in Bonnie's instance, she genuinely cared for both, which was the problem. Bonnie's 'big heart' was a commodity at best and a curse at its worse. Having Bonnie in your corner meant that nothing could stand against you but having her in your adversary's corner meant the same—nothing could stand against them. Her compassion was her fault and though Bonnie undoubtedly loved Niklaus, she loved Elijah too and that was where the problem lie.

The witch's love was alluring. It seemed to be a cure-all for Niklaus and unfortunately for Elijah, he always coveted what belonged to Niklaus and Rebekah wasn't sure why. From the outside, Elijah was everything Niklaus was not. Elijah had the love of both of their parents, Niklaus did not. Elijah was the heir of their father's fortune, Niklaus was the bastard of her mother's torrent love affair. Yet it seemed that whenever Niklaus claimed something for himself, Elijah was somehow entangled in it—first with Tatia, then Katerina, and now Bonnie. At the very least, Bonnie was prettier and actually worth fighting for, however, the story was getting as old as they were and Rebekah was left to watch her family be torn apart by yet another harlot.

Still, that harlot was responsible for bringing two new additions into their family, a feat Rebekah never thought possible. She could not hate the creator and love the creation; that wasn't how things worked. To accept the twins meant to accept Bonnie and as much as it grated her nerves, she knew that if her brothers didn't get it together, she would have to step in eventually.

Until then, she would do her part and play the dutiful Aunt while praying that she didn't return home to a slaughterhouse.

Judging by the look in her brother's eyes when she left, she wasn't too hopeful.

-X-

Bonnie awoke alone in the dark, sprawled out in the middle of the courtyard of The Abattoir. Night had fallen and there were no signs of life inside of the dark mansion. The muffled sounds of The Quarter could be heard over the chirps of the crickets. She moved to stand to her feet but winced when a pain shot through her right thigh. It was then that she remembered the mark. Klaus had bitten her while in wolf form, thus marking her territorially. She felt different. The bond they shared throughout the years was intensified. Years of being away had weakened it but it never left and though she didn't fully understand what was happening at the moment, she knew that by marking her, he completed whatever it was that was left open between them.

As pressing as it was to sort through her emotions, the need to be near her children beckoned her to suck it up and get her shit together. She scrambled to her feet, using fallen furniture pieces around her to stand. She summoned her magic to the surface and used it to light each of the torches that lined the wall. The flames created an almost magical glow around her and a wave of nostalgia crashed into her as memories of her time here ten years ago began to surface. It was a simpler time, despite not knowing how she felt about Niklaus back then. Her feelings were raw and unrestricted and she wondered how things would have progressed had she stayed.

Oh, how she wished now that she had.

Nothing made sense to her anymore. She tried to remind herself that she made the best decisions she could with the information she had at the time but that excuse no longer sufficed.

Still, she couldn't wallow in regret and pity. She had to find her children, their uncle, and their father and make sure none of them were damaged by the actions of the latter.

But first, she had to find a new pair of jeans.

**"Bonnie."** The witch in question jumped out of her skin and spun around to face whoever had called out to her. She came face to face with skin as dark as hers and kind eyes filled with concern. A sense of familiarity came over her as she recognized the man before her.

**"Marcel,"** she smiled. It had been ten years since she's seen him and amid all the chaos, hadn't thought about him since she returned to the city. With Klaus now the ruler of said city, she naturally assumed that Marcel was simply out of the picture but clearly, that wasn't the case. **"What are you doing here?" **She stepped forward to greet him but suddenly remembered she was clad in only a t-shirt and her underwear. Instantly, she became self-conscious and tried to cover herself. Ever the gentleman, Marcel averted his gaze as he turned away from her.

**"Rebekah called me,"** he offered as he listened to Bonnie shuffle around the courtyard, looking for her pants, no doubt. **"She wasn't making a bit of damn sense but begged me to come by and make sure that you and her brothers weren't all dead? She said 'the twins' were with her, but didn't say who they belonged to—"** Marcel cut himself off when he began to piece things together. When Bonnie left, she was a tiny little thing and for the most part, she still was. However, she had filled out in ways only a mother could which lead him to believe that the twins in question belonged to her. It was the only thing that made sense.

**"Me,"** Bonnie confirmed. **"They belong to me."** She found her tattered jeans and carefully slid them back on. She moved to stand in front of Marcel and contemplated him for a few moments. She wasn't sure how much Rebekah had told them and hesitated on revealing the children's paternity. Klaus had enemies everywhere and at one point, Marcel was one of them.

**"Did she say where they were?"** Marcel shook his head.

**"Only that Klaus had asked her to watch after them—"** He cut himself off once again as a thought began to form. Bonnie watched as realization settled on his face and silently cursed. **"Holy shit,"** he began.

**"Do not utter a fucking word to anyone,"** Bonnie warned. Marcel's eyebrows rose high on his head as his hands went up in defense.

**"Not my business to tell,"** he quickly defended. Bonnie relaxed just a tad.

**"I've always considered you a friend, Marcel,"** she began, and it was true. The two of them bonded immediately over the color of their skin and their love of culture and the history of their people. **"Please don't say anything,"** she pleaded softly. **"Klaus has enemies everywhere and if it ever gets out that—"**

**"I won't say a word,"** he interrupted. When Bonnie gave him a look that questioned his loyalty, he elaborated. **"Klaus is practically my father which makes the twins my siblings and you, my stepmother."** When Bonnie blinked at the realization, Marcel chuckled at how fucked up his statement was.

**"Well, shit,"** Was all she could say. The two fell quiet as Bonnie contemplated her next course of action. **"I fucked up,"** she admitted after a long moment of silence passed. Her chest was heavy with sorrow and it was getting harder and harder to function with it weighing on her. **"Long story short, I ran once I found out I was pregnant—long story—and Elijah helped me do it, now Klaus wants to murder us, rightfully so."** There was a long silence again before Marcel spoke up. Though she didn't say much, he was adept at reading people and knowing the history of Niklaus and Elijah, she didn't have to say much.

**"This family is as fucked up as it comes,"** he began. **"Which means, you'll fit right in."** Bonnie laughed breathlessly as Marcel smiled. **"When Klaus returned to the city, we fought like hell. I thought we were going to kill each other, several times. But at the end of the day, we came to an agreement. Neither of us won anything by beating the shit out of one another but it helped us sort our shit. Once it was out of our system, we compromised. Or rather, I got bored with it and gave in to his stubborn ass." **Bonnie chuckled. Just about every fight with Klaus resulted in the other party yielding just to shut his ass up.

**"I say that to say that though I don't know all of the details, I do know that if, after all the shit I've done to him if he managed to spare me, a black boy he plucked from the bowels of slavery, he'll spare his own brother—after they finish beating the shit out of one another. Just stay out of the way until they're done." **Bonnie nodded as she considered Marcel's advice. She wasn't sure if what happened between Marcel and Klaus was as concrete as what was currently happening between Klaus and Elijah but, she needed something to hold on to.

**"I sure hope you're right,"** she sighed nervously. Marcel said nothing as he silently hoped the same.


End file.
